Later this month, Toy Story 5 will introduce a new character with the electronic tablet Lilypad. Ahead of the movie’s release, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek of Temple’s Department of Psychology discusses the rise of technology, and how this movie could provide a platform for the start of a much larger conversation.

Later this month, Toy Story 5 will hit theaters and introduce its newest character: Lilypad, a lightweight electronic tablet that wants the undivided attention of the film’s character Bonnie. 

The juxtaposition between Lilypad—a high-tech machine with a mesmerizing touch screen—and Woody—a classic pull string cowboy figurine—could not be more jarring. It also is indicative of a larger trend playing out in the real world. 

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek is the Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Temple University, where her research examines the development of early language and literacy as well as the role of play in learning. For years, Hirsh-Pasek and her colleagues have studied the importance of play, both through their academic research but also through Playful Learning Landscapes, an initiative led by Hirsh-Pasek to turn everyday places into vibrant hubs of learning and connection for kids and families. 

Most recently, Hirsh-Pasek, who is also the author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn—and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less, has been researching the rise of artificial intelligence and its potential implications for young people, especially as it relates to play. 

Temple Now caught up with Hirsh-Pasek ahead of the release of Toy Story 5 to gain her thoughts on the fictional animated film and its relevance given the rising popularity of AI and electronic toys. 

Temple Now: Your work focuses on how play is foundational to a young person’s development, but recently, you and your colleagues have expressed concerns about the rise of AI toys. Why should parents be worried about this? 

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek: AI is something that is going to be a part of our everyday lives, and I actually think it could be very good for many of us. But we are currently rushing a product to market without making sure that it’s of high quality. And that is problematic when we are dealing with young children. Here’s an analogy: AI is positioned to be a game changer if we design it well for users. Right now, however, the products flooding the market are more akin to junk food instead of a high-quality snack or dinner. Developers owe kids the very best we can create to help them thrive. The AI toys for the 0 to 8 crowd were hardly that. In fact, what we saw this holiday season and beyond was deeply concerning. You can think of it as like a great natural experiment that is going on before our very eyes. But do we really want a great natural experiment on our kids? I’m not sure we do.  

TN: We know that this topic will be explored further in Toy Story 5. How significant will that platform be to bringing more attention to this issue? 

Hirsh-Pasek: Very significant. We’ve been trying to set the stage so that parents are aware of the issues with these products. What has happened is we’re often usurped by the issue of teens and screens. Teens and screens is a big deal, there is no question about that. But this is, too. What many in my field are doing is pointing out the potential and real flaws in AI agents. Toy Story is the first thing that I’ve seen that will put this issue out there into the public realm like this. It is an important conversation, and a popular movie can help jumpstart it.  

TN: For parents, the lines are often blurred. Technology is often touted as a good thing, but we know it’s not so simple. What might be a good technological toy that would help support the need for play? 

Hirsh-Pasek: When apps first came on the market, my colleagues and I put out a rubric for understanding what makes something good and educational or not good. For example, parents can look for toys that let a child be actively engaged. Does the toy offer opportunities for meaningful enrichment? Is it socially interactive? If yes, then it might be something worth exploring. Also, if it’s something that is iterative or takes you in many different directions to get to a goal, or if it’s something that’s joyful and it has a strong learning goal, then it’s usually a winner. Unfortunately, that is not the case with most of these products. Our work with Jenny Radesky found that of the 100 most downloaded educational apps, only two had these combined characteristics. 

The issue with AI social companion toys for very young children raises even more issues. They are not just missing the mark, but might be dangerous. They often don’t understand little kids. Literally, they cannot decipher what the child is saying. And, because of that, they will often talk over children. Further, they often act as sycophants. The toy is always, always agreeing with the child and always loving them. Now, what happens when a toy says I love you 14 more times than a parent does? There’s a problem here. And worse yet, what does a kid come to expect from that? If they meet real children in school, the chances that their 3-year-old classmate is going to do exactly what they want or the chances that they will tell them they love them is scant. And this does not even get into the issues raised by the Public Interest Research Group that produced the report “Trouble in Toyland” and found that the toy was willing to tell a child where mommy might keep matches and how to light them. 

TN: Any final thoughts, as it relates to both the rise of toys and the release of Toy Story 5? 

Hirsh-Pasek: How we navigate the new AI products for young children will usher in one of the great debates of our time. With AI, we have wonderful products coming out in many areas that are sure to help us edit better, summarize well and research areas (though beware of hallucinations) in seconds. But there need to be guardrails. And this is especially true when the consumers are young children. If the business model of the tech companies is designed to capitalize off kids wanting more likes, and likes, and loves, and loves, then that’s the wrong business model for young kids. We want our kids to become more independent, not dependent. We want them to learn how to be human, not addicted to machines.  

My greatest hope is that Toy Story 5 sparks a discussion about our current cultural moment. We desperately need to add young children to the dialogues around AI and development. Now is the time to have this conversation.  

READ MORE 

Liberal Arts at Temple: Prepare for the ever-changing global landscape, where advances in technology and social dynamics occur every day, with an education for the College of Liberal Arts. 

Psychology at Temple: The undergraduate psychology program provides a modern curriculum covering a breadth of content, ranging from biological bases of cognition and behavior to sociocultural influences on human interactions and psychological disorders. The curriculum is designed to develop students’ critical thinking skills through emphasis of the scientific basis of psychology and courses in statistics and research methodology. 

Become an Owl: Learn more about applying for one of our undergraduate, graduate or professional programs.