Why Voice Assistants are Beneficial to Children
According to Yext, nearly 50% of broadband households use voice search and artificial intelligence (AI) search capabilities, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home. It’s no secret that, as AI adoption rates are skyrocketing, the impact on today’s youth increases as well but, it’s actually more helpful than you may have anticipated.
By Hillary Long, General Manager and Partner at CITRO Digital
Reduces Screen Time
You may have guessed this, since…you know, the majority of voice assistants don’t have a screen. But for kids, this is a great thing!
Unlike other search technology that requires typing, conversational AI provides information without actually staring at a screen. Children can have plenty of fun asking for jokes, to be read a story, or even given a fun fact which can encourage them to practice pronunciation and conversation in a fresh way — no screen required!
Behavior Reflection
Many parents are worried that their child’s interactions with voice assistants would promote snarky behavior because the device completes any task given regardless of tone or sass. However, Google Home and Amazon Alexa will say “Your welcome.” when prompted by a “Thank you.”
Moreover, now with the new Amazon Echo Dot Kids and FreeTime parental controls, Alexa will prompt children to use manners and even change the way it responds to a child’s queries. This feature promotes Alexa as a parental tool to encourage children’s inquisitive minds in a safe manner. Plus, both allowing third parties to develop their own skills and actions can promote kids to reflect on their own behavior.
Citro Digital, a digital marketing agency diving into the world of voice application development, has created “Naughty or Nice Quiz” in the spirit of the nearing holiday season. This voice application, available on Amazon Alexa and Google Home enabled devices, takes kids through six behavior related questions.
These artfully created questions strike a balance between whimsical and practical. They range from “Do you share your toys?” to “It’s the night before Christmas, do you…sneak downstairs, or, do you wait until the morning?”.
The questions tally up to reveal whether the child is on Santa’s naughty or nice list, which — let’s face it, parents use as a tool to enforce positive actions. Hearing a behavioral analysis from something other than their parents can have a strong impact on making them think twice and doing what they are told by their parents — not to mention kids have a blast using it!
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ADA Compliance & Inclusivity
A great benefit of voice assistants is their inclusive nature. Children with vision impairments can joyfully listen to all that they have to offer with no issues.
However, those with hearing impairments initially weren’t able to use the devices, with the exception of voice assistants with a visual component, until a third-party Alexa developer created an application that reads sign language and translates it into words for Alexa to then respond. This has bridged the gap in making conversational AI the most inclusive technology on the market.
Promotes the Imagination
Children are brimming with creative ideas and imagination that parents want to blossom. Luckily, there are a plethora of fun games that are strictly sound-based to do just that.
Whether they choose to try “Riddle Room”, “Animal Trivia”, “Amazon Storytime”, or “Scooby Doo! Mystery Inc. Theater”, children will be transported to a magical world of sound with any voice assistant that will keep their eyes off the screen and imagination running wild!
To download the skill on an Amazon Alexa, simply go to the Alexa Skills Store website and enable “Naughty or Nice Quiz,” you can also enable it from the Alexa app on mobile. Once enabled, just say, ”Alexa, open the Naughty or Nice Quiz” to get started.
To enable this action on a Google Assistant device or phone, simply say “Hey Google, open Naughty or Nice Quiz.”
Originally published at voicetechpodcast.com on December 13, 2018.
