According to The Washington Post, two members of Congress sent Mattel a letter last week asking for more information about how Aristotle would store and retain any data collected on children. Mattel has already made assurances that any data collected would be in compliance with COPPA and HIPAA, and would use encryption to transmit any activity, including a baby monitor video stream.

Pediatrician Jennifer Radesky has her own concerns about the role of technology in early development. "My main concern about this technology... is the idea that a piece of technology becomes the most responsive household member to a crying child, a child who wants to learn, or a child's play ideas," she told The Washington Post.

When reached for comment, a Mattel spokesperson told Engadget the following: "After our new CTO, Sven Gerjets joined the company in July, he conducted an extensive review of the Aristotle product and decided that it did not fully align with Mattel's new technology strategy. The decision was then made not to bring Aristotle to the marketplace as part of an ongoing effort to deliver the best possible connected product experience to the consumer."