Outsourcing The Parenting To Amazon

in news •  7 years ago 

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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 goal is that the Echo, Echo Plus, and other devices, will help children learn to say please when asking the device a question. The new kids edition Echo Dot is expected to start shipping by May 9th and it provides parents with a variety of new controls.

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
pixabay

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/

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  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Wow! Unfortunately, somehow that's a "need" these days.

In other news, while at the local courthouse today, two of my @little-peppers were handed $1 each by a lady who was impressed that they were sitting quietly without the aid of electronic devices LOL! People these days!

Thanks for sharing bro ❤

I Think Its Good News for every Parent and they should wait for 9 May for

That's really interesting. I'll consider getting one.

After setting up my echo dot today, my kids caught on and were screaming commands at Alexa within minutes.

I came here thinking it was going to be a critical article, but was happily surprised that it's advice for integrating technology into your family life. Thanks a lot!

great news,the photo is also nice

Such mixed feelings on this. "Making our children be polite to a machine is absurd".. also, "Repetition, repetition, repetition..."

All of this totally speculative, we don't use any of these devices in our home. Interesting read.

It seems a lie, but it is a reality that children are getting badly learned every time, simple words like please and thank you are reluctant to formulate them, the sad thing is that human beings are delegating our responsibilities as parents to some machines, but as I always say, If this is for good, welcome.
Many thanks dear friend @doitvoluntarily for sharing this news

As with all technology, it's about how you use it. I recently made the decision to get some echo devices for our house and I have 5 kids. I thought one of the benefits would be the fact that our little non stop curiosity kiddos who can't yet type or spell every word they want information on, can now ask Alexa questions while my hands are full with dinner and I don't always know the answer. I don't intend on them to learn manners from Alexa, that is my job and kids learn best thru modeled behavior. Also I see this as a way for me to introduce AI to my kids before it's matured to the singularity.

expensive?

This is completely insane and disturbing. Pavlov's Dog for children....

I find it kind of disturbing that the ongoing technological presence in our lives is now impacting such basal societal mechanisms as etiquette. I don't see any stopping point, and I think that's most disturbing at all.

Today, parents are availing themselves of AI to teach etiquette to their kids. I suspect that tomorrow (figuratively speaking) they will be availing themselves of AI to feed, medicate, and dress their kids. AI isn't going to go away, and folks aren't going to pretend it isn't there.

Amazon has very deep pockets, and purchases the skills of extremely advanced specialists in the design and production of it's products. Ordinary folks can't possibly spy out the potential drawbacks a highly predatory corporation might subject them and their families to, and prevent all of the harm this transition might bring.

Considering how Amazon treats it's employees, I am not confident Amazon treats it's customers any better. What can we do to protect ourselves and our children from being manipulated by advanced psychological technology other than try to avoid it? As that technology continues to permeate our environment, that is a temporary respite at best.

What the future holds I cannot foresee, but Amazon is intent on increasing it's profitability in every way. There are a lot of ways to train up profit centers for Amazon by manipulating our kids. It's sure not getting easier to raise kids, when that is factored in.

I see why my parents raised me on an island in Alaska. It was more work, but easier to avoid psychological manipulation in that environment.