Kaleidoscope on the Internet of Toys : safety, security, privacy and societal insights

This paper gives an insight into safety, security, privacy and societal questions emerging from the rise of the Internet of Toys. These are Internet connected toys that constitute, along with the wave of other domestic connected objects, the Internet of Things, which has increased the ubiquity of the ICT within our everyday lives, bringing technology more than ever closer to ourselves and our children. What changes and challenges will 24/7 Internet connected devices, and connected toys in particular, bring to our society? What precautionary measures do parents, teachers, health care professionals, and also industry partners and policymakers, need to take in order to protect our children's play, safety, security, privacy and social life? Based on which considerations? In which timeframe? The paper offers a kaleidoscope of six experts' views on the Internet of Toys, each exploring the topic and raising questions from a specific angle, as follows: Public and industrial discourse; Safety, security and privacy concerns; Social robot-children interactions; Quantified-self of the childhood; Nature of play and, finally, Possible benefits of higher collaboration between research and the Internet connected toy industry.