Safety and age guidance

Otto is a voice companion for children aged four and over. This page sets out what it is, what it is not, and what we do and do not yet know about it. We would rather you read this and decide against Otto than buy one and be surprised.

Who it is for

Four and up. Otto contains small parts and a sealed lithium battery that cannot be removed, so it is not suitable for toddlers and we do not sell it as a toy for them. Most children who get on well with Otto are between six and eleven. Younger than that and the conversation tends not to go anywhere; much older and they would usually rather use a phone.

Otto is bought by an adult, set up by an adult, and the account belongs to the adult. It is not a device a child sets up alone.

What the filtering does, and what it doesn't

Otto is configured to refuse adult topics and to answer in a way that suits a child. In the reviews of this hardware, and in hundreds of them, that filtering holds up well. Parents report it declining things it should decline.

We are not going to tell you it is perfect, because no filter is. Anyone selling you a device like this one who promises otherwise is telling you something they cannot check either.

What we can tell you is this: every conversation appears in full in the parent app. Not a summary and not a sample. So if something ever does get through, you will be able to see exactly what was asked and exactly what was said. If that happens, please email us and tell us. We want to know, and we will tell other customers.

Otto has no screen, no camera and no browser. There is no feed to scroll, no autoplay, and no way for a child to wander from one thing into another.

Using it safely

• Charge it from a standard USB power adapter using the supplied cable. Do not leave it charging unattended overnight.
• Keep it dry. It is not water resistant and it is not a bath toy.
• The battery is sealed and is not user replaceable. Do not open the case.
• If the case cracks, or the battery swells or gets hot, stop using it, keep it away from anything flammable, and contact us.
• Otto needs a wifi connection. With no internet it cannot answer anything.

Where Otto comes from, and what we are checking

Otto is manufactured overseas and supplied to us. We are a small Australian business and we are not going to pretend we built the hardware.

We are working through Otto's compliance documentation with our manufacturer. These are the four things that matter, and we are not going to pretend they are finished when they are not:

• The RCM declaration covering the wifi radio, as required by the ACMA for any device sold in Australia that transmits.
• The electrical safety declaration for the charger.
• A toy safety test report against AS/NZS ISO 8124.1, the mandatory Australian standard for children's toys.
• The lithium battery test report, normally IEC 62133.

We will publish what we hold on this page as it comes in. If you want to know where we have got to before you order, email us and we will tell you plainly what we have and what we are still chasing. We would rather lose the sale than give you a comfortable answer we cannot back up.

Throwing it away

Otto contains a lithium battery and must not go in household rubbish or kerbside recycling. Take it to an e-waste drop-off point. Most council waste facilities in Australia accept small electronics free of charge.

Tell us if something is wrong

If anything about Otto worries you, or if it says something to your child that it should not have, email hello@meetotto.com.au. A person will read it and a person will answer.