When kids are free to ask Amazon Alexa anything, there’s bound to be trouble. They can easily forget their manners and they bark out commands to an Amazon Alexa device, or cue up music they shouldn’t be listening too. It’s a literal communications free-for-all. But no longer thanks to a new service launched recently by Amazon. The company’s Amazon FreeTime on Alexa, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa, and Echo Dot Kids Edition are designed expressly to protect and provide families with access to kid-friendly content and to even help reinforce the use of the word “please.”
Parents can choose any combination of the following three options for their kids:
- Amazon FreeTime on Alexa brings parental controls and family-focused features to Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Plus—all at no cost. Simply add FreeTime to an existing or new Echo device to get started.
Controls that Parents Can Enable Include:
Time Limits – Set bedtime time limits to protect against kids talking with Alexa late into the night, or simply pause Echo devices for dinner or homework time.
Parental Controls – Use the Parent Dashboard and Alexa app to choose which services and skills kids can use, turn off voice purchasing, and more.
Block Explicit Songs – Both in the Alexa experience and FreeTime on Alexa experience, parents with Amazon Music now have the ability to filter playback of songs with explicit lyrics.
Activity Review – Parent Dashboard allows parents to see their kid’s FreeTime on Alexa activity, plus review their voice recordings in the Alexa app.
Magic Word – The new Magic Word feature offers positive reinforcement when kids use the word “please” while asking questions of Alexa.
Educational Q&A – Kids can ask Alexa questions about science, math, spelling, definitions, or any other topic that piques their curiosity.
Alexa Speaks ”Kid” – Alexa has age-appropriate suggestions at the ready, all kids have to say is, “Alexa, I’m bored.” Kids can also ask for knock-knock jokes, ask Alexa for a song, and more.
Household Communications – Gone are the days of shouting up the stairs for the kids to come down to dinner. FreeTime on Alexa allows for household announcements, calling, messaging, and Drop In within the home.
Amazon FreeTime on Alexa will roll out to existing Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus owners via a free, over-the-air software update starting May 9.
- Amazon has also expanded its FreeTime Unlimited service to include a wide selection of Alexa-specific content such as kid-friendly premium skills, Audible books, and more—all at no additional cost for existing FreeTime Unlimited members, or starting at $2.99 per month for Prime members.
Additional Kid-Friendly Content Families Can Access:
- Over 300 Audible Books – Kids can enjoy hours of entertaining and educational Audible books performed by some of their favorite characters and authors such as Peter Pan, Rip Van Winkleand more.
- Ad-Free, Kid-Friendly Stations & Playlists from iHeartRadio Family – From Kids Hits to Radio Disney, kids have access to thousands of songs from playlists and custom stations.
- Premium Alexa Kid Skills from Top Brands – With all-new Alexa skills like Disney’s Disney Stories,Nickelodeon’s No Way That’s True, and National Geographic’s This or That, kids can explore Alexa skills.
- Wake Up to Favorite Characters – Kids can start the day with alarms featuring their favorite characters from Disney, Nickelodeon, and more.
- One Subscription, Unlimited Possibilities – With a FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa subscription kids can also access thousands of games, apps, videos, books, and more on Fire tablets, including Fire Kids Edition tablets, Android tablets, and Android phones.
FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa will roll out to existing Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus owners via a free, over-the-air software update starting May 9. Customers who already subscribe to FreeTime Unlimited for their kids can get the subscription content, features, and parental controls at no additional cost. Those who are new to FreeTime Unlimited can sign up for as low as $2.99 per month.
- Lastly, Amazon offers an Echo Dot designed specifically for kids. For $79.99 the Echo Dot Kids Edition is the simplest way to get started with the Alexa kids experience. It comes with all the FreeTime parental controls features, one year of FreeTime Unlimited family plan, a kid-friendly case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee.
Echo Dot Kids Edition will begin shipping on May 9.
The post Amazon Alexa Teaches Kids to Say Please appeared first on Electronic House.
from
https://www.electronichouse.com/smart-home/amazon-alexa-teaches-kids-to-say-please/
No comments:
Post a Comment