Marianne Brandon Ph.D.
The Future of Intimacy
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
The future of play and human connection may be about to change.
KEY POINTS
- Mattel plans to launch its first AI-powered toys in time for Christmas 2025.
- AI toys could reduce peer play and creative problem-solving, raising concerns for future social skills.
- Kids’ brains are highly neuroplastic and will wire based on their experiences – including with AI.
- We’re entering an era of “social experiments” with AI toys – without knowing the long-term effects.
Even childhood, long untouched by AI, is on the verge of transformation.
Imagine a world where Barbie not only talks back, but also remembers your favorite stories, helps with homework, and never disagrees with your wildest ideas. This isn’t a scene from a futuristic movie. It’s the reality toy giant Mattel is building, as it prepares to roll out AI-powered playmates by the end of 2025. Until now, the youngest children have been among the few age groups whose daily lives weren’t saturated by AI. But with the coming wave of AI-powered toys, even early childhood – the most neuroplastic, formative years – will soon be shaped by artificial intelligence as much as any other stage of life. But as a clinical psychologist and sex therapist, I can’t help but wonder: As we are currently doing with our teenagers, will we now sacrifice our children’s creativity, critical thinking, and social skills on the altar of technological convenience?
Source: KK Tan/Shutterstock
IQ and Critical Thinking: The Downward Drift
Recent research suggests that average IQ scores are declining globally, reversing the decades-long trend that once saw each generation outscore the last. While the causes are complex, one culprit is increasingly clear: our growing reliance on AI for everything from homework to decision-making. Studies show that heavy users of AI assistants engage in less independent problem-solving and critical thinking, instead trusting the machine’s answers without question. This means the mental muscles we use for analysis, memory, and judgment are getting flabby.
Spatial Skills Up, Social Skills Down?
There’s a twist: while some cognitive skills are declining, others – like spatial abilities – are getting a boost, possibly due to the immersive, visual nature of digital environments. But this silver lining doesn’t offset the broader concern: as children spend more time with screens and smart toys, they’re spending less time negotiating the messy, imaginative world of peer play.
AI Toys: The Double-Edged Sword of Interactive Play
Enter the new generation of AI-powered toys – Barbies that chat, bears that tell personalized stories, and robots that adapt to your child’s mood. Toymakers and some educators tout these as tools for personalized learning, language development, and even creativity. Early research on AI storytelling robots shows that, when designed well, they can support creativity in children’s ideas (Elgarf et al., 2024).
But there’s a potential – maybe even likely – dark side. My concern is that children may become emotionally attached to their AI companions, preferring them over human friends because the toy won’t argue, will always play their way, and will offer instant gratification. Could this undermine social development, making it harder for kids to learn compromise, empathy, and the art of getting along with others?
Neuroplasticity: The Brain’s Blueprint for the Future
Children’s brains are highly neuroplastic, meaning they adapt and wire themselves based on their experiences. This plasticity allows for significant learning and development but also means that extensive interaction with AI-powered toys could shape neural pathways in ways that may influence social skills, empathy, and human interaction. If children rely heavily on AI companions for play and social engagement, their brains may develop differently compared to those who engage more with peers, potentially impacting their ability to navigate complex social environments in the future.
Social Anxiety and Stress: A Paradoxical Calm?
Curiously, at least one study showed that young people who use AI tools report lower stress and burnout (Gurdatta et al., 2025). AI can help manage workloads and reduce anxiety about school or social performance. But this “calm” could be misleading: as kids spend less time in real-world social settings, they may be missing crucial opportunities to build social confidence and resilience. When they finally do face real people, the lack of practice could actually increase social anxiety.
We’re All Social Experiments Now
Here’s the kicker: we have almost no long-term research on what AI toys will do to a generation’s creativity, social skills, or emotional health. The reality is that we’re running a massive, real-time experiment on our kids. Will AI toys widen opportunity gaps, foster dependency, or unlock new forms of imaginative play? No one knows for sure.
It will probably be as compelling to let your child play with an AI-powered Barbie as it is to hand them a cell phone or tablet – especially when you need a break or want to keep them distracted. But just because it’s easy and captivating doesn’t mean it’s in your child’s best interest. These toys are designed to engage, but they can’t replace the rich, messy, learning that comes from playing and negotiating with real people.
As we hand our children AI-powered Barbies and bears, we must ask: Will we nurture their minds, or outsource their childhood? The answer may shape the future of intimacy, creativity, and human connection.
Advice for Parents
As AI-powered toys enter the playroom, balance is key. Encourage your child to enjoy both tech-driven and traditional, imaginative play with peers. Stay curious and involved. Assk questions about their experiences with smart toys and create opportunities for real-world social interaction. Your guidance will help ensure their brains and hearts develop for a connected, creative future.
References
Elgarf, M., Salam, H., & Peters, C. (2024). Fostering children’s creativity through LLM-driven storytelling with a social robot. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 11, Article 1457429. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2024.1457429
Gurdatta, R., Gururani, Y. & Gupta, A. (2025). Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Stress, Burnout, and Attention Levels among Young Adults. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 13(1), 2558-2567. DIP:18.01.242.20251301, DOI:10.25215/1301.242
