Let Them Be Bored: Brené Brown, AI Toys, and the Case for Creative Quiet
Source: Generic Substack archive
Author: Sydney Sullivan
Original source: https://substack.com/home/post/p-166762714
Published: 2025-06-24
Source type: essay
Private backup: the full article text is archived in the private repository at archives/articles/substack-com-p-166762714.source.md. It is not published on the public Quartz site.
Summary
Sydney Sullivan argues that boredom is developmentally valuable because it creates the mental space children need for imagination, creativity, play, and original thought. Drawing on Brené Brown and psychological research on boredom, the article frames idle time as a cognitive catalyst rather than a problem to be solved. The article applies this concern to AI-enabled toys from companies such as Mattel, Amazon, Curio, Yukai Engineering, and Miko, warning that always-responsive toys may over-script children’s play. Sullivan does not reject AI toys entirely, but recommends deliberate calibration and protected tech-free intervals so children can develop their own imaginative capacities.
Pull quotes
Boredom as creative space
“It’s those uneasy intervals when the mind wanders, daydreams, and stitches disparate thoughts into something novel.”
Too smooth to stumble
“The fear is that AI toys will make the imaginative terrain too smooth to stumble on.”
Calibration over rejection
“AI companions can augment accessibility for neurodivergent kids, translate play into multiple languages, and expose rural classrooms to STEM concepts that would otherwise remain abstract.”
Big ideas
- Learning still needs some struggle, even when AI can make things easier
- AI simulations need clear boundaries for learning
Claims
- Learning requires some productive struggle that AI can remove
- Children need protected boredom and unscripted play
Key evidence and examples
- The article uses Brené Brown’s argument that creativity, play, and rest are essential to innovation.
- Boredom is framed as an uncomfortable state that can prompt imaginative engagement rather than a failure to be eliminated.
- The article references the brain’s default-mode network and research in which tedious tasks preceded more creative uses for objects.
- Examples of AI toys include Mattel/OpenAI work, Alexa+ “Explore with Alexa,” Curio’s Grok plush companion, Yukai Engineering’s Mirumi, and Miko 3.
Education relevance
Highly relevant for early childhood, elementary education, family technology norms, AI edtech adoption, screen-time policies, and developmental questions around AI companions and toys.
Durability note
Durability: High. The specific AI-toy examples may age, but the core warning about preserving boredom, failure, and child-led play remains useful as AI companions become more responsive.