Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Wednesday 8 august 2018
Goo-gle gaga: Parenting in the age of Alexa and her ilk

By MELISSA RAYWORTH naturally gets easier.
Associated Press Amber Norwood, who is
Hey parents: What if there raising two children in the
was a machine that could United Kingdom, says she
respond to your kids' ev- loves that her 8-year-old son
ery command, never tir- engages with both Google
ing, even if they ask it to and Alexa. "He watches a
tell jokes for two hours or lot of videos about rockets
answer all their homework and space, requests cool
questions? music, and connects with
It's a blessing and a curse buddies from school," says
for moms and dads that Norwood. He's also build-
machines kind of like that ing some research skills, she
do exist in the form of says.
Google's Assistant and Am- "I think he's going to be
azon's Alexa. ready for the kind of world
These in-house digital as- he'll grow up in. I'm a writer,
sistants don't always un- a teacher of writing, and a
derstand questions or serve lover of books, but I also feel
up useful answers (which In this June 14, 2018, file photo, an Amazon Echo is displayed in New York. like this is what the future of
some parents say is a good Associated Press learning and engagement
thing). But they do create looks like," she says. "I want
challenges and opportu- prefer to visit the library or is calling out a question — courage clearer use of lan- to teach him to do it well,
nities for parents — espe- search the internet togeth- rather than silently typing it guage and better diction. and critically."
cially those raising younger er with her kids to build their into a device — a parent But be aware that digital YOU CAN HEAR IT ALL, AND
kids. Even as Amazon and "curiosity and problem-solv- can hear it and engage. assistants "may privilege SOMETIMES THAT'S TOO
Google are adding options ing muscles." When they Also, it's a welcome some dialects over others," MUCH
that control access and re- have a question, she says, change in some house- says Shannon Audley, assis- It's delightful to see a kid
quire kids to speak politely "we try to work through it holds if the child isn't look- tant professor of education discover just how much
to their voice-controlled or go figure out how to find ing at a screen (though and child study at Smith incredible music and in-
speakers, devices like the the answer. And we actu- some devices, including College in Northampton, formation is floating in the
Echo Dot and Google ally go searching for the the Echo Show, include a Massachusetts. virtual cloud. But all that
Home can make a big and answer, and sometimes screen that shows question SHORT ANSWERS WON'T EN- access can induce over-
unexpected impact. that leads us to other ques- prompts and video). With- COURAGE CRITICAL THINK- load.
It took Mary Beth Foster a tions." out screens, children have ING, BUT PARENTS CAN "This spring we stayed with
few days to notice, but it But for parents who have to process information au- If a child is asking Alexa to my parents for six weeks
was undeniable: Her son's invited a digital assistant rally, which "could make answer a math problem, while we did house reno-
first words weren't "goo into their home, here are you think a little bit more that instant answer "takes vations," says Jillian Kirby,
goo." Her 1-year-old was some of the challenges: because you don't have away their own strategies who lives in Burlington, Ver-
saying, "Ok, Google," after ANSWERS CAN COME the visual," says Erin Boyd- for problem solving," says mont. Her son is not quite 3
hearing his parents say it QUICKLY, BUT MIGHT BE Soisson, professor of human Audley. One option is to and was delighted that his
over and over. When she WRONG OR INCOMPLETE development and family use parenting controls so grandparents had Alexa
realized that, Foster says, Are the kids calling out science at Messiah College kids can't access the de- at their house. "If we had
"my husband thought I was questions and accepting a in Mechanicsburg, Pennsyl- vice during their homework ever entertained any ideas
nuts. Babies say 'goo' all the single response as the entire vania. session. of getting one," Kirby says,
time, right? Until he heard story, without questioning Kids can get frustrated Teach young kids that they "they would have been ex-
him mimic us talking at the where that answer comes because digital assistants need to be able to arrive tinguished by that experi-
Google Home in context." from? Alexa's info most of- don't always hear high- at answers and synthesize ence."
Meanwhile Foster, who lives ten comes from Wikipedia, pitched voices correctly, information through their Soon after meeting Alexa,
in Mint Hill, North Carolina, which kids may not know or might be confused by a own methods and thinking, Kirby's "music-loving son be-
says the device has creat- isn't always accurate. child's diction or phrasing. says Boyd-Soisson. came power-hungry and
ed some confusion for her On the bright side, if a child Parents can use this to en- As children get older, this impatient, and wanted to
4-year-old daughter over change the song the mo-
who, exactly, is in charge. ment it came on, yelling
Because the family access- 'Alexa! Nex' song!'"
es Netflix, Amazon Prime It took several weeks back
content and YouTube home and away from digi-
TV through their Google tal assistance to start get-
Home, their daughter has ting through whole albums
begun asking questions again.
like, "Mom, can you ask "We have had a similar issue
Google if we can watch when people have hand-
'Beauty and the Beast'?" ed him tablets or phones
Speed bumps like this have to play with. We aren't a
led some parents to avoid no-screen-time family, but
these devices. we stick to co-watching of
Suzanne Brown, mother of movies and kids shows," Kir-
two boys ages 7 and 4, is by says. "With both access
keeping Alexa's seemingly to Alexa and with the tab-
easy answers out of her lets, he has gotten really ir-
Austin, Texas, home while In this June 14, 2018, file photo, a Google Home is displayed in New York. ritable, and behavior takes
her boys are young. She'd Associated Press a nosedive."q