Alexa, Are You Safe For My Kids?

Earlier this month, the toy-giant Mattel announced it had pulled the plug on plans to sell an interactive gadget for children. The device, called Aristotle, looked similar to a baby monitor with a camera. Powered by artificial intelligence, Aristotle could get to know your child -- at least that was how the device was being pitched. "Aristotle is designed to comfort, entertain, teach and assist," according to a company release issued in January. It was designed to "displace essential parenting functions, like soothing a crying baby or reading a bedtime story," says Josh Golin, executive director of the advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.