TORONTO — As parents hunt for gifts that will wow their kids this holiday season, Canadian child development and psychology experts say they should be wary of AI-powered toys because of possible harms, ranging from privacy and security violations to interference with children’s creativity and development.

“Early childhood is a time where the developing brain is a little sponge. It’s taking everything in and it is so malleable,” said Dr. Nicole Racine, an Ottawa child psychologist and scientist at the CHEO Research Institute.

Read more: • Advocacy groups urge parents to avoid AI toys this holiday season • McGill University team develops AI that can detect infection before symptoms appear • Artificial intelligence scams getting harder to detect, says expert

“I think about what kind

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