Technology is now helping to teach children to be polite. Amazon will soon start selling a children's version its virtual assistant Alexa. The new digital assistant will be called "FreeTime". The child-friendly device will include what Amazon calls a "Magic Word" feature. course, there are two magic words: "Please," and: "Thank you." The smart software is programmed to encourage children to say "please" and "thank you" when they ask the device questions. An example this is if a child asks FreeTime: "What is the capital city Australia?" Alexa will answer and end its response : "Thank you asking so nicely." Amazon hopes this will encourage children to copy the device and be more polite.
Amazon says the new Magic Word feature is to answer the many customers who said technology was teaching children to be rude. Many smart devices simply give sentences using any polite words. Parents said children copy this way speaking and forget to say "please" or "thank you". Children also got used to asking smart devices questions being polite. Not everyone is happy this new technology. Josh Golin, executive director Campaign a Commercial-Free Childhood, said: "AI devices...interfere the face-to-face interactions and child-driven play that children need to grow." He believes parents should spend more time children and teach them politeness.
