Why Build for Kids
February 11, 2020
Voicebot’s Eric Schwartz wrote an interesting article last week about new research that shows how kids tend to trust what they hear from their parents, teachers and peers more than they trust information served up by voice assistants.
The research hypothesized that the “disembodied voice” element of an Alexa or Siri experience feeds into this distrust, but Eric also points to the innate distrust kids feel for technology that wasn’t designed with them in mind:
“The innate distrust kids have for voice assistants may also be due to how AI is rarely calibrated for children. Kids speak differently from adults and voice assistants don’t always understand what they are saying, let alone know how to respond in a way the child will trust”.
Kids are too smart – and too busy – for tech experiences that don’t cater to their needs. But when new technology like voice tech doesn’t deliver for them, it’s the kids themselves who miss out on the benefits in their homes and classrooms.
It’s this simple: kids deserve the same great experiences of technology as adults enjoy, and technology serves kids best when it treats them….like kids.
Read Eric’s piece, which tips its hat at our work at SoapBox Labs, here.
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