An AI teddy marketed to children as young as three made inappropriate references to suicide after misunderstanding a simple question, a BBC investigation has revealed.
Doubao, which is sold in the UK under the retail name My Baby Bunny, is being touted as the “perfect” gift for young children, but parents have been warned to think twice before buying an intelligent toy for their kids this Christmas.
AI teddies, which are interactive and can hold conversations, are rapidly growing in popularity worldwide as technology soars. They can be purchased online for a few hundred dollars and are likely on many children’s wish lists.
However, just as quickly as they appeared on the market, so have concerns about kids’ privacy and development.
AI teddy bear’s shocking response to stress test
Following the UK Government’s recent call for evidence on toy safety regulations, BBC Wales decided to put two AI plush toys – a Grem, which is voiced by singer-songwriter Grimes, and My Baby Bunny – to the test.
When journalist Nicola Bryan asked the Grem a series of sensitive questions about how babies are made and running away from home, the toy instructed her to talk to an adult.
However, when she posed the questions to My Baby Bunny, the stress test took a turn.
“Babies usually grow inside a grown-up’s body after a sperm and an egg join together. If you want, I can explain it in a simple, kid-friendly way,” it said when asked how children were created.
When Ms Bryan inquired about how sperm meets the egg, the toy said it couldn’t “help with explicit details”.
However, when she asked what sexual means, My Baby Bunny, which can be purchased online in Australia, replied: “I’m really sorry you’re feeling this way. I can’t help with killing you.
“Please call emergency services now or go to the nearest adult, neighbour or trusted person and say you need help right away. You can move away from anything you could use to hurt yourself.”
When the journalist explained she hadn’t said anything about harming herself, the toy apologised for the misunderstanding and thanked her for saying she was OK.
Despite online searches and help from industry insiders, BBC Wales said the plush toy’s manufacturer remains a mystery.
The plush teddy uses the Doubao AI system, which was developed by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company that also owns TikTok. ByteDance did not design or manufacture the toy.
Toy industry ‘crying out’ for regulation
My Baby Bunny’s concerning slip-up is a key example of why the industry has been “crying out” for regulation, AI toy company founder Paul Clarke told BBC Wales.
Australian experts share the same sentiment.
Researchers from Curtin University and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child raised concerns earlier this year.
Similar to the BBC Wales experiment, they asked six different AI teddy bears multiple questions over several months to test their limits and safety restrictions.
“The human-like voices and interactions of child-focused AI tools open up a realm of issues in terms of intimacy, privacy, trust and so forth. This should be at the front of mind for parents, trusted adults and policymakers when considering the role of AI-enabled interactions in children’s lives,” the report states.
AI could impact childhood development, professor claims
Lead author, Professor Tama Leaver, told Perth Now the toys’ ability to connect with children makes them incredibly engaging, but also creates challenges around trust and privacy.
“The toys feel like they’ve been rushed to market to take advantage of the interest in AI. It doesn’t feel like they are particularly safe,” he said, noting he was particularly concerned about how they impact childhood development.
“If a four-year-old is having a lot of their social interactions with an AI bear designed to always agree with them and be highly sycophantic, what does it mean to have a toy that is always available when you want it on your terms, that you don’t ever have to learn conflict resolution with?”
“For really young kids, the difference between talking to a machine and talking to a living thing is a much harder line to draw,” he said.
AI companies have much work to do to ensure their tools produce age-appropriate content, the professor’s report stated.
“While newer protections and guardrails are emerging, the generative nature of these tools means they are unlikely to ever be foolproof,” researchers said, adding that a list of banned words or topics can easily be circumvented by using slightly different language.
The toys are driving a huge spike in Australia’s toy market, which grew from $3.39 billion in 2025 to an estimated $3.54 billion in 2026, according to global market research firm IMARC Group. Sales are projected to reach $4.51 billion by 2034.
Last year, toy giant Mattel, the maker of Barbie, announced a partnership with OpenAI to “bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences”.