Privacy in smart toys: Risks and proposed solutions

•The technology used in smart toys increases the risks to children’s privacy.•We raised technical and domain-specific classifications of risks and solutions.•The most mentioned technical risk is data disclosure.•There is much concern about children’s physical and psychological safety.•Toy makers and privacy regulations are not ready to protect children’s privacy. Smart toys have become popular as technological solutions offer a better experience for children. However, the technology employed greatly increases the risks to children’s privacy, which does not seem to have become a real concern for toy makers. We investigated this issue through a study driven by two major research questions: which are the major smart toys-related children’s privacy risks and which are the major mitigation so to such risks. To answer these questions, we conducted a scoping review. As a result, we selected 26 primary studies and elaborated two classifications of risks and proposed solutions – technical and domain-specific. The most mentioned technical risk is data disclosure, while from a domain-specific perspective there is much concern on the children’s physical and psychological safety. From a mitigation standpoint, many recommendations and solutions have been proposed, but without a more common type of contribution. As a main conclusion, we observed that toy makers and privacy regulations are not yet ready regarding children’s privacy for a more active smart toys market.