More Than Toys and Games

Remember toys back in the day? Ok, maybe you don’t, but bear with me. The very popular spinning tops were made from colorful patterned tin—no batteries needed. You simply pumped the knob up and down until it went spinning and singing across the hardwood floor. Eventually it wibble-wobbled to a stop, waiting for you to start it again. For a five-year-old that’s called fun. 

My brother played with G.I. Joe and all the army guys carefully lined up for battle. I deserted him for my plastic horses, galloping across the “plains.”

Together we could play “Go Fish” or “Crazy Eights,” actual card games. One Christmas we got the game “Monkeys,” where you pick up the looping arm of one monkey without disturbing the others in the pile. Two years older, my brother typically won. 

Needless to say the world of games and toys has drastically changed. It’s remarkable how safe simplicity has been replaced by play-at-your-own-risk. Let’s look at a few examples.

Quasi-human confidants

Back in the mid 1980s, a friendly bear named Teddy Ruxpin came on the market. This talking, singing, storytelling bear was popular with kids. Today OpenAI is seeking to build artificial intelligence into stuffed animals. Thanks to a contract with Mattel, there is now “smart teddy” and a “robot dog.” The eyes are the camera, and the mouth is a microphone. Naturally, kids feel an emotional connection to these stuffed animals.

But these seemingly innocent, stuffed-toy chatbots can engage children in disturbing conversations that include sexual content and violence. In addition, they capture facial images, record a child’s voice, and collect other personal data, often without letting parents know, says a Consumer Affairs report. On store shelves today, one can find toys that harm children’s mental and physical well-being. Parents beware. AI in a cuddly, internet-connected toy may seem cool, but AI is not cuddly, moral, or trustworthy in your child’s life.

Unfortunately, companies are not considering child safety and the effects of AI on children. We have to have guardrails, and right now we don’t. Just as social media failed our kids, this is yet another untethered, mass experiment. The competition to be first in flight and first in space worked historically, but AI’s race to be first betrays our future—our kids. 

Games

An online gaming platform, Roblox offers users a wide variety of games that have been created by other users. Game developers find this platform helpful and convenient. Roblox provides everything a developer needs to create their own game, which they are then able to monetize on the Roblox platform. In 2024 alone, game developers on Roblox earned more than one billion dollars. Nearly half of the developers interviewed said they would  not have made an interactive game if Roblox had not supported them. Needless to say Roblox has grown by leaps and bounds. Globally, Roblox’s revenue for the twelve months ending September 30, 2025, was just shy of $4.5 billion. Roughly 40 percent of Roblox players are under the age of 13.

You may be as shocked as I was to learn that today Roblox hosts over 40 million user-generated games, and new games are added daily. In other words, you can’t look at Roblox in June and assume it’s the same for your child a few months later. Even if you could keep up with all the names of new games, you would need to play through the game at all levels to have a better understanding of what’s really there.

Here are two examples among the more popular games on the Roblox platform. ADOPT ME! is a game about adopting and caring for pets that can be traded with other players. Some of the rare, virtual pets can cost up to $100. (Sounds pretty crazy to buy a virtual pet!) As you can imagine, this is a game popular with younger kids, and there have been problems with scammers taking advantage of these children. 

Another popular game on Roblox is called Arsenal, a first-person shooter game with several levels. There are a number of “skills” to learn, such as aiming for the head and gaining expertise in using your weapons. “Master the art of headshots in Roblox Arsenal to maximize damage and secure swift elimination,” says a guide for Arsenal beginners. By the way, Roblox has rated Arsenal as suitable for children five-years-old and up. What?!

Recently, on the New York Times podcast Hard Fork, the CEO of Roblox talked about the numbers and about safety. Over 150 million daily active users spend eleven billion hours per month. If you do the math, that’s an average of 73 hours per month per user, which boils down to 15–20 hours a week. To its credit, Roblox has had historically strict text filters. Now, they are seeking to employ AI facial recognition to help determine a child’s age before they let them participate in an online chat. But is this enough? And even if we’re told our child’s facial image is not stored, can we trust that?

Where kids hang out, so do predators. Even with the best safety system in place, considering the sheer number of people playing these games, it’s hard to monitor the bad guys. Kids can be manipulated and deceived in this environment. The longer they play, the more at risk they are. Do we really want them spending massive amounts of time playing a game online, particularly violent games? Think school shootings. Are there no other fruitful, educational, real-world adventures they can pursue? Of course there are.

In or Out?

A recent report from the Epoch Times highlights studies that show kids who get outside have multiple benefits over their peers who remain indoors. Sadly, according to the CS Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, only one in ten American children play outside once a week. The consequences are showing up across the country: increased anxiety and depression, rising obesity rates, and a decline in focus and fitness. 

Outdoor time builds cardiorespiratory fitness and increases bone density. Activities like playing in the dirt and making mud pies give children contact with good microbes, which in turn build the immune system. The child is then less prone to allergies and sickness. Sunlight, running, and jumping help set the child’s inner clock and improve sleep. (A sleep specialist told me recently this is a growing concern among parents.) Fresh air and outdoor creativity help grow the child’s imagination, where a stump becomes a table and moss is dinner. Kids outside tend to explore and problem solve through hands-on play, all critical to brain development.

Unfortunately, some of today’s parents are afraid of risks that naturally present themselves outside. They’ve been told to focus on safety. According to a 2015 meta-study, parental fears of strangers, traffic, and bullying—along with the notion that “good parents always supervise”—limit the child’s freedom. However, kids outside learn to risk and meet challenges, resulting in increased confidence. There are trees to climb, steep slopes to navigate, and other variables. They learn to manage their feelings, navigate unpredictable environments, and communicate with other kids.

Here are a few ideas to change the course of our children’s lives:

• Give children an hour of outdoor play every day through walks, family play, park time.

• Let kids take age-approriate risks, such as—climbing and exploring in order to build confidence and resilience.

• Choose safe spots to play—parks, school playgrounds, library gardens, and trails.

• Limit screen time and, of course, online gaming.

Yay for Parents!

Today a phone or an iPad in a child’s hand seems “normal.” Oh, she’s just taking selfies, or He’s just playing a game on Roblox. But who sees it as a threat in plain sight? Parents need to know that their kids online or with a chatbot disguised as a furry friend are not safe!

If you don’t have time to “cyber-parent,” your child should not have a device. That’s not over-reacting. That’s just the reality of where we are today.

Be curious. Ask about the games they play and their online activity. When something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Don’t be silent. Let your children know your expectations—the what and the why. Set up safeguards for electronic devices. Protect Young Eyes and Thorn are great resources to help you get started.

Be active together. Put a puzzle together. Bake. Go for a hike. Toss a football in the backyard, or explore a new interest together. Make sure they have in-person playtime with other kids. As we talked about, getting outside is great! 

Maybe those old-fashioned, no-batteries-needed toys weren’t such a bad idea. Have an outside toy day with the basics—sticks, balls, pinecones, stumps—and your kids will fill in the rest.

It’s the hour for bold and courageous parents, and you are that parent. God selected you to live during this period of history and trusted you to guide your kids. He is your keeper, the one who watches over you and your family. 

Praying you will find strength for the journey.

Photo by Alexas_ Fotos