Ministry issues 'Furby' warning to parents

The Science Ministry yesterday warned parents of seven negative impacts of the Furby doll fad among Thai youths.

International Anti-Ageing Medicine Institute director Dr Krissada Sirampuch said seven impacts of kids playing with high-tech toys including the cute, furry Furby robotic toy were;

1. Children become so obsessed with the toy that they lose the ability to interact with people around them or become hostile to society.

2. Children become overly attached to the toy, causing them to pay less attention in class if they take it to school.

3. Children enjoy playing with the toy until past their bedtime, causing them to sleep late, which affects their body's ability to produce growth hormone.

4. Children obsessed with virtual pet or tablet games might assume that violently treating real small pets is all right because the animals won't really die and can be "fixed", as in toys or games.

5. Children playing alone with toys could develop the habit of talking to themselves, which could slow down their speech and brain development. Because children's brains can't differentiate real voices from artificial ones, they may start to copy the toy's voice and speak like a cartoon character.

6. Children playing with toys all day might refuse to play sports or run around outdoors with other kids. This could affect their playing skills, which are important in the development of muscles and the brain. They could also become passive and overweight, or even sick from flu, cold, allergies and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.