Favorable
Committee: Economic Matters
HB1261
The Maryland Catholic Conference offers this testimony in support of House Bill 1261. The Maryland Catholic Conference is the public policy representative of the three (arch)dioceses serving Maryland, which together encompass over one million Marylanders. Statewide, their parishes, schools, hospitals and numerous charities combine to form our state’s second largest social service provider network, behind only our state government.
House Bill 1261 establishes guardrails that protect children’s privacy, psychological well-being, and developmental safety. It requires AI-enabled toys to carry proper labeling, sets limits on how manufacturers may use the data collected from children, and prohibits the use of that data for targeted or manipulative marketing. These protections are critical at a time when children are interacting with smart devices capable of learning from, recording, and shaping their behavior.
This bill ensures that toys integrating artificial intelligence meet clear standards of safety, transparency, and responsible data practices. As AI becomes increasingly common in products marketed to children, this bill seeks to prevent unsafe, opaque, or manipulative technologies from entering the marketplace. It addresses a growing gap in consumer protection law by ensuring that families understand the capabilities of AI-driven toys and the nature of the data collected.
As Pope Leo said it best “Recognizing and safeguarding what characterizes the human person and guarantees his or her balanced growth is essential for establishing an adequate framework for managing the consequences of artificial intelligence. In this regard, we must pause and reflect with particular care upon the freedom and inner life of our children and young people, and the possible impact of technology on their intellectual and neurological development. The new generations must be helped, not hindered, on their path to maturity and responsibility. The well-being of society depends on their ability to develop their talents and respond to the demands of the times and the needs of others, with generosity and freedom of mind.”
Children deserve environments that nurture their growth and respect their inherent worth—never spaces where they can be surveilled, profiled, or manipulated for profit. The preferential option for the vulnerable calls us to prioritize safeguards for those least able to protect themselves. Because children cannot recognize risks the way adults can, it becomes the responsibility of caregivers, policymakers, and society to ensure the environments we place them in—digital or physical—are safe.
Protecting children’s privacy and emotional well-being is essential to fostering healthy development. Early childhood is a sensitive period for cognitive growth, social learning, imagination, and trust-building. Ensuring strong protections around AI-enabled toys acknowledges that childhood is a foundational stage of life. By safeguarding what children see, hear, and share, we preserve their innocence, strengthen their safety, and support their ability to explore and learn freely.
For these reasons, the Maryland Catholic Conference urges a favorable report on House Bill 1261.