Lego unveils tech-filled Smart Bricks - to play experts' unease

Lego says its new tech-enabled products are its "most revolutionary innovation" since it launched its mini-figurines in 1978.

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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.

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.

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.

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.