A family member purchased a baby toy for his one-year-old nephew on TikTok and was shocked to discover the toy speaking 10 unsettling words. Aaron Green, from Wythenshawe, bought the jellyfish toy for £8.62 in October and gifted it for Christmas. Marketed as an ‘electric dancing jellyfish toy’ with LED lights and music features, the toy was battery-operated, designed to dance and play music, with no mention of audio capabilities.
After gifting the toy, everything seemed fine until Aaron’s sister shared a disturbing video on January 12, showing the toy unexpectedly vocalizing the phrase: “Live audio now being transmitted to data centre for analysis.” Subsequent recordings captured more indistinct speech from the same voice.
TikTok is investigating the product, which has been removed from the platform but is still available on other online retail sites. Aaron expressed surprise at the toy’s unexpected behavior, mentioning its claimed AI obstacle avoidance feature. He found the toy’s sudden shift to speaking concerning, especially the message about live audio transmission for analysis, which he found unsettling.
Despite the toy being low-cost and from a Chinese toy factory, Aaron’s sister no longer wants to use it with her nephew due to the potential risks. TikTok has not confirmed if the toy can record audio but has taken it off the platform for investigation, emphasizing customer safety as a priority. The platform assures safeguards including seller verification, reporting tools, and the ability for customers to return items.