Echo Dot Kids is designed to encourage children to give up their personal information so it can drive even more revenues for the E-Commerce colossus.” “Amazon is acting irresponsibly by urging parents to unleash an AI-driven Alexa product into their children’s lives, without first ensuring that it will not harm their cognitive and emotional development. “Commercially-produced voice-recognition technologies, such as Amazon Echo, are primarily designed to promote products and brands,” said Jeff Chester of CDD. AI devices raise a host of privacy concerns and interfere with the face-to-face interactions and self-driven play that children need to thrive.” “The Echo Dot Kids is another unnecessary ‘must-have’ gadget, and it’s also potentially harmful. “Amazon wants kids to be dependent on its data-gathering device from the moment they wake up until they go to bed at night,” said CCFC’s Executive Director Josh Golin. FreeTime also offers parental controls, “Premium Alexa Skills from Top Brands” like Nickelodeon, Disney, and National Geographic, and a feature where if children say “please,” Alexa will respond “thanks for asking so nicely.” The Echo Dot Kids is a candy-colored version of Amazon’s voice assistant, equipped with FreeTime Unlimited, a kid-friendly version of Alexa which connects children with entertainment like movies, music, audiobooks, and video games. Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas) sent a letter to Amazon asking a number of pointed questions about the device, noting “increasing concern about the effects of digital media and technology use among children and teens.” Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), and leading experts say Amazon Echo Dot Kids and its companion FreeTime voice-enabled platform pose significant threats to children’s wellbeing and privacy. Jeff Chester, CDD ( 20)Įxperts and Advocates Caution Parents to Steer Clear ofĪlways-on digital devices for children endanger kids’ privacy and deprive them of physical interactions crucial to healthy developmentīOSTON, MA - Child development and privacy advocates are urging parents not to buy the new Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition with Alexa voice technology.
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