A Time Magazine story from Dr. Dana Suskind, professor of surgery & pediatrics, University of Chicago, that every parent should consider reading before giving their young child an AI driven toy: “Parents—and society at large—cannot afford to take a wait-and-see approach to evaluating the safety or value of these products.
And the truth is, research takes time. Rigorous studies that establish causal relationships take years, and developmental impacts can take even longer to surface. But time is exactly what our youngest citizens’ developing brains don’t have.”
As Dr. Suskind points out:
“…it’s incumbent upon us to consider what this technology might mean for toddlers who are still wiring their brains while also learning, for the very first time, what relationships are.”
Dr Suskind notes:
“When parents interact with their children through eye contact, shared laughter, and patient answers to questions, they activate ancient neural circuits designed for connection. These exchanges provide a form of nourishment no algorithm can match, and are essential architecture of becoming human.”
Dr. Suskind goes on to express serious concern about the potential impact the overuse of AI could have on the development of a child’s cognitive skills:
“For young children, whose brains are still under construction, the more accurate risk isn’t brain rot—it’s brain stunt. Older children and adults encounter AI with already-built neural scaffolding, but young children are still wiring the very circuits that shape all future learning and relationships.”
Time, 12/18/25
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