The big buzz word these days is AI—Artificial Intelligence. In fact, I have met several high school and college students who say they want to pursue careers in AI. For this week’s TTT, I want to bring up the AI devices that many homes have or will get: Amazon’s Alexa and Echo, and Google Home.
These devices can be an incredible asset to some people. For instance, for those who have limitations with their vision, the device provides them valuable information. I know of several friends who are getting these for their aging parents to help them with tasks like playing music, making calls and finding information.
There are several concerns with such devices, particularly regarding very young people. Recently the toy company, Mattel, planned to release a baby monitor called, “Aristotle.” The idea was that it would form an emotional tie with a baby by doing things like singing and reading to the child.
A device like the Aristotle would give Mattel and other corporations around the clock access to the baby, and collect data which they would use to market to his/her parents. When the people at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Story of Stuff Project heard about this device, they started a petition that amassed 20,000 signatures, and ultimately put a stop to Aristotle’s release. Mattel has decided to not bring the monitor to market, at least for now.
Another topic to consider is that communication with these devices can be a bit worrisome when toddlers and young kids are around. When adults yell out commands at such devices, it turns out toddlers start to do the same. How will this impact the way in which they act with other kids and adults?
As always, I recommend starting your TTT by saying something positive about technology.
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
The big buzz word these days is AI—Artificial Intelligence. In fact, I have met several high school and college students who say they want to pursue careers in AI. For this week’s TTT, I want to bring up the AI devices that many homes have or will get: Amazon’s Alexa and Echo, and Google Home.
These devices can be an incredible asset to some people. For instance, for those who have limitations with their vision, the device provides them valuable information. I know of several friends who are getting these for their aging parents to help them with tasks like playing music, making calls and finding information.
There are several concerns with such devices, particularly regarding very young people. Recently the toy company, Mattel, planned to release a baby monitor called, “Aristotle.” The idea was that it would form an emotional tie with a baby by doing things like singing and reading to the child.
A device like the Aristotle would give Mattel and other corporations around the clock access to the baby, and collect data which they would use to market to his/her parents. When the people at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Story of Stuff Project heard about this device, they started a petition that amassed 20,000 signatures, and ultimately put a stop to Aristotle’s release. Mattel has decided to not bring the monitor to market, at least for now.
Another topic to consider is that communication with these devices can be a bit worrisome when toddlers and young kids are around. When adults yell out commands at such devices, it turns out toddlers start to do the same. How will this impact the way in which they act with other kids and adults?
As always, I recommend starting your TTT by saying something positive about technology.
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Many young people are overwhelmed by constant social media use, which can displace important activities like sleep, schoolwork, and friendships. Over 200 school districts are suing platforms like Meta for harms related to social media addiction. The blog covers what problematic social media use is from a clinical perspective and how our kids can talk with a friend (or family member) if they are worried their friend might have some level of problematic use.
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A week ago, Instagram announced changes to its rules for “Teen Accounts.” All new teen users will be defaulted into these accounts, and current teen users will transition over the next two months. Instagram’s head of Products, discussed these changes, and one comment surprised me. She mentioned that teens aged 13 to 16 will need parental permission to have a public account, hoping this would encourage dialogue between teens and parents about social media use. However, I feel this still puts too much responsibility on parents when we need broader societal solutions. I discuss this and the rest of the changes in today's blog.
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We have created a table that compares the 4 most common social media platforms and the specific ways they are similar and different. Spoiler alert, they are way more similar than different. It makes perfect sense since companies see what young people use on other apps and incorporate such features into their own apps.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
