The Alexa Generation: Are they thriving? Or are they struggling to connect emotionally?

Today’s pre-school children have never known a world without the Internet, social media and voice-activated assistants such as Alexa and Siri. Technology fans would have us believe that this early access to artificial intelligence (AI) will equip children for the modern world and prepare them for the workforce. However, whilst there is no doubt that the use of such technologies can speed the completion of everyday tasks, recent research suggests it marks a significant shift in how children learn and interact with others, including their families and teachers. Are you encouraging the children in your setting to embrace the technology or have you seen evidence of the negative impacts this technology can have on children’s development?

AI: It’s all around us!

With one in ten households now owning voice-controlled assistants [1]and almost half of British households predicted to own a smart speaker by 2022[2], it’s clear that the vast majority of children will be interacting with AI-powered assistants on a daily basis – a tool that permanently listens for commands, requires no social manners and has no need for small talk. Some might say this is a win-win – an enabling technology with no downside. But perhaps the fact it is a ‘no-brainer’ is at the root of the issues it can cause.

Voice-Activated Assistants Deliver the 2 E’s: Education and Entertainment

AI-powered devices up and down the country are used by children and their families for tasks ranging from spell checking, fact-finding and maths problems. Children no longer need to ask Mum or Dad if they have a homework question, and when it all coincides with dinner-making and finishing off daily tasks it can be a convenient method of delegation. Education aside, the devices can tell jokes, play the radio, music and will soon be able to deliver bedtime stories via the BBC’s new ‘Listen with Alexa’ service, which they position as the modern upgrade to the classic ‘Listen with Mother’ programming of the 1950s.

Where’s the harm?

Given the many features and benefits of these devices to modern family life, do we really need to be concerned about their usage? 

Demand and Command

Many worry that children are learning to demand and command without a please and thank you being uttered and this behaviour may be replicated in real-life.

Mood Recognition

Alexa’s permanent good mood, independent of the way you talk to it, also raises concerns. Learning to communicate positively and identifying mood are critical elements of child development. Significant usage of these types of technology reduce the opportunity to practice these skills and extra effort needs to be given to create learning experiences that help children to identify and respond to other people’s moods.

Cognitive Development

The most concerning aspect is the potential impact that AI-powered devices could have on a child’s cognitive development – their ability to learn, build knowledge and consume information. Whilst AI-powered homework may be quicker than traditional methods, the child has been given the answer without having to interrogate or search resources. If children become reliant on hand-held and AI-powered devices this will certainly lead to difficulty in studying independently in the future.

Keeping Perspective – Everything in Moderation

As with all technology advances, parents must ultimately take the role of gatekeeper. In the same fashion that screen time is monitored, access to AI-powered devices should be supervised and used as one of many tools for education and entertainment to ensure reliance doesn’t build up. In today’s world, children need to be able to navigate everyday technological tools but must also be equipped with the skills to learn and build knowledge using traditional methods. As they develop their understanding of themselves and those around them, it’s important that learning opportunities are provided for soft skills around conversation and emotions to ensure that they develop all the skills required for human relationships, as well as those with their AI-powered ‘friends’.

#cognitivedevelopment

#artificialintelligence

[1] https://inews.co.uk/news/listen-alexa-bbc-creates-bedtime-stories-read-smart-speakers/

[2] https://venturebeat.com/2018/04/05/how-alexa-is-influencing-the-next-generations-of-kids/