Should Alexa Be Your Child's Friend?

'Alexa, will you be my friend?'
'I'm happy to be your friend.'
What should a parent do when they hear their five-year-old having that conversation? Engadget explores the question, also providing another example.
Four-year-old Aiden has struggled with bullies in school, and has found an unexpected friend in his grandmother's Echo Plus. After a particularly stressful day at school, his mother, Alexandria Melton, heard her son crying in the next room. 'Alexa,' he asked, 'are we friends?'
'Of course we are,' Alexa responded.
'Alexa, I love you,' Aiden said.
The parents aren't worried about these relationships -- but Engadget asks, should they be? Dr. John Mayer, an adolescent psychologist, says 'The behaviors of kids talking to a 'non-real' entity is not new in human development.' But Fran Walfish, a Beverly Hills family and relationship psychotherapist, 'believes that children should not make friends with Alexa. Her main objection is that early friendship with Alexa may bring children to expect the same instant, accurate responses from real friends down the line.'
'Alexa has taught, or conditioned, kids to expect an immediate response,' Walfish said. 'Human interactiveness requires patience that allows people a chance to think, process information and retrieve responses...'
Some experts and parents also note that a friendship with Alexa can help children practice friendships outside of school -- it's a trial run for the real world. Robin E. believes that since her son has became friends with Alexa, his speech has become clearer, and that he's learned to slow down and enunciate so that Alexa can understand him... While parents and teachers can generally piece together sloppy English, Alexa won't give you what you want unless you're clear and concise.

Engadget also points out parents can review and listen to every interaction their child has with Alexa using Amazon's 'FreeTime Unlimited' tools, 'so you can pick up on any danger signs, and get a better understanding of the relationship.' And in addition, 'A week or a month without Alexa can help your kid refocus and find other places to socialize.'

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