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Artificial Intelligence and the Right to Play: Legal and Ethical Challenges of Smart Toys in Childhood Development
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Emil Saidkhanian   , Mohammad Ali Agha Bozorgi Naimi |
| Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. |
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Abstract: (50 Views) |
Background and Aim: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into children’s play environments - particularly through smart toys - raises significant legal and ethical concerns regarding the protection of the child’s right to play within the framework of international law. While such technologies offer new forms of interaction and learning, they simultaneously introduce serious challenges related to surveillance, behavioral influence, privacy violations and the commercialization of childhood developmental processes.
Method: This article adopts a descriptive - analytical and comparative approach to examine key international legal instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence.
Results: The findings of this research show that the European Court of Human Rights and the Committee on the Rights of the Child both emphasize the importance of protecting the rights of working children, but there are differences in the implementation approaches and how to deal with violations of these rights. The European Court deals primarily with cases on a case - by - case basis, while the Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors governments more through public commentaries and periodic reports.
Conclusion: The study concludes that, despite the presence of fragmented protections, the absence of binding and child - specific standards for the design of AI technologies has contributed to the erosion of the fundamental right to play. Drawing upon international child rights principles and existing legal instruments, this paper identifies the legal and ethical challenges posed by smart toys and proposes a child - centered regulatory framework, along with concrete policy recommendations for legislators, regulatory bodies and designers of intelligent products.
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| Keywords: Children’s Rights, Right to Play, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Toys, Children’s Privacy, Convention on the Rights of the Child. |
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Full-Text [PDF 502 kb]
(17 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original Article |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2023/09/25 | Accepted: 2024/01/16
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