Some parents are finding it too difficult today to teach their children pleasantries like please and thank you. And they want to outsource some of the parenting responsibility to Amazon to take care of.
Amazon has come up with a solution for them, by introducing new software upgrade features and an Echo Dot kids edition.
The new upgrade will provide parents with a dashboard that enables them to choose which skills they might want their children to work on with the device, they can set whatever specific services they might want their kids to have access to, they could also turn off the ability for them to make a voice purchase, and more.
Since these listening devices have gained popularity and ended-up in millions of homes, a number of parents have noted that they've witnessed their children frequently barking orders at their Echo and other devices. And they don't like that they're neglecting to add a please or thank you and they worry that this is going to negatively impact their relationships and interactions with others.
Among the recommendations from concerned parents, are suggestions that these devices should not only help teach kids to say please and thank you, but also punish them (with digital timeouts) for being rude, neglecting to finish a task, or engaging in some unwanted behavior.
Regardless of the many parents who are eager to embrace the Echo and other similar devices, these devices don't come without their concerns. They are susceptible to hacking, and they do pose some serious privacy risks, among other concerns. However, many out there still find those risks to be worth the trade-off for the convenience.
Of course, for those who don't want to spend the extra money on an upgrade or a new device, yet who might still want their children to learn how to say please and thank you when conversing with others, they do always have the option to try and teach them themselves.
Pics:
Piotr Cichosz via Unsplash
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Sources:
http://time.com/5254163/amazon-echo-dot-kids-edition/
https://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/alexa-please-spy-on-my-kids/85523
http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/news/a855718/amazon-alexa-new-features-help-raise-children/
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/alexa-amazon-echo-privacy-risk/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2544967/mattels-amazon-echo-for-kids-could-be-spying-on-your-child-critics-claim/