As the holiday shopping season begins, Enough Is Enough (EIE) has released a Naughty & Nice List of Holiday Gifts for Children & Teens.

“For anyone holiday shopping for children and teens, no doubt many of the gifts on their lists include technology. However, internet-connected tech gifts arrive with hidden costs to youth: anxiety, sleep loss, social pressures, addictive algorithms, exposure to sexually-explicit content, predators, traffickers, sextortionists and addictions,” said Donna Rice Hughes, EIE president and CEO.

“The so-called ‘reward’ of tech does not outweigh the risks. Our ‘Naughty & Nice’ List gives a much-needed guide of gifts to buy and to avoid.”

Naughty List

1. AI toys – Many children’s toys have started to embed chatbots in them. These toys may seem trustworthy; however, recent news reports have suggested that AI toys have told children where to find knives, light a match and even had sexually explicit conversations with an innocent child.

2. Apple or Android smartphones – Predators use social media and even online gaming sites to groom children. Apps are frequently misrated and can enable children to access harmful and sexually explicit content.

3. Roblox gift cards – Roblox, a gaming platform extremely popular with children, enables predators to groom children, often contains violence and sexual content and is facing over 35 lawsuits as a result. Hindenburg Research described Roblox as an “x-rated pedophile’s hellscape.”

4. Smartwatches not designed for kids – Children can access the internet on smartwatches, which means they can access any kind of harmful content.

5. Virtual Reality headsets – It was alleged at a congressional hearing by two Meta whistleblowers, in sworn testimony, that if their children have used Meta’s Virtual Reality devices, they have likely been exposed to adult sexual content.

Nice List

1. Gifts that encourage creative outdoor play – Kids love toys with wheels like hoverboards, scooters, trikes and bikes. You can also buy toys that highlight outdoor play like water or sand tables, racquet sets or other sports equipment.

2. Nontech toys – Encourage screen-free time with new books, board games, Lego, puzzles and more.

3. Music – Consider buying musical instruments, sheet music or accessories, purchasing lessons, or going to a local orchestra or concert. For younger children, consider toy music sets.

4. Outings and adventures – Make plans for activities that both you and your children can have fun with, like taking a cooking class, going bowling, go karting, trying out an “axe-throwing” venue or visiting a retro arcade.

5. Safe phones – If your child or teen needs a phone, consider purchasing phones from Gabb or Bark that are not connected to the internet and designed for kid’s safety.

To learn more, go to https://internetsafety101.org/.