{"id":223606,"date":"2026-01-07T12:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T08:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/?p=223606"},"modified":"2026-01-07T13:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:07:17","slug":"lego-introduces-smart-bricks-causing-experts-unease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/en\/news\/223606\/","title":{"rendered":"Lego introduces Smart Bricks, causing experts\u2019 unease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lego has unveiled Smart Bricks – tech-filled versions of its small building blocks – which it says will bring sets to life with sound, light and reaction to movement, the BBC<\/a> writes.<\/p>\n

However, the new product range has got a mixed reaction from play experts, who say it risks undermining what makes Lego distinct for children in an increasingly digital world.<\/p>\n

Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, the Danish toymaker’s Smart Play system introduces new electronic components to the classic plastic blocks.<\/p>\n

Lego says its new tech-enabled products, launching in March with a new Star Wars set, are its “most revolutionary innovation” in nearly 50 years.<\/p>\n

But Josh Golin, executive director of children’s wellbeing group Fairplay, believes Smart Bricks could “undermine what was once great about Legos” – harnessing children’s own imagination during play.<\/p>\n

“As anyone who has ever watched a child play with old-school Legos knows, children’s Lego creations already do move and make noises through the power of children’s imaginations,” he told the BBC. ”<\/p>\n

Andrew Manches, professor of children and technology at the University of Edinburgh, agreed the beauty of Lego lay in “the freedom to create, re-create, and adapt simple blocks into endless stories powered by children’s imagination.”<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"