The use of voice-controlled devices could leave a negative impact on the social, emotional, and mental health of children, according to the latest research.
Amazon Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google Home might be convenient to use since all you need to do is to utter commands to activate their features. Without us knowing, they could potentially hinder the cognitive and social development of young people.
Long-Term Impact of Voice-Operated Smart Devices on Children
Several experts have warned about the dangers of using voice assistants for children. The study entitled "Effects of smart voice control devices on children: current challenges and future perspectives" concludes that these gadgets might make young persons less intelligent.
One of the study's authors, Anmol Arora, says that some of the impacts that might happen on children who use these devices include "hindering learning opportunities, inappropriate responses, and declining social development," Daily Mail reported.
In asking a question, a child wants to hear a "specific" answer from an older person. That's not the case with smart home devices since they are not capable of explaining the information down the line.
On the other hand, the adults could possibly elaborate the context of a question and choose the right terms that will match the cognitive capacity of a child.
Dr. Arora said that Alexa and other voice-operated devices could not replicate the exact process. Because of this, the children will be forced to find the right response for the query. This will demand a lot of logical reasoning and critical thinking from youngsters.
Aside from this problem, Arora also thought that the children might have a hard time recognizing various accents that the assistant speaks. As a result, they could mispronounce the words and think of the inappropriate meaning for them.
For instance, Amazon faced a backlash from the community when Alexa started a dangerous challenge with children. The worst thing about this issue is that the smart assistant instructs the children to play with electrical outlets.
Since smart home devices are machines, they are incapable of understanding what they speak.
Related Article: Amazon Alexa Voice Data Tracking Might Lead To Privacy Issues; How To Prevent It?
Modern Devices Are 'Rewiring' a Child's Brain
In another report by The Guardian, another researcher who released a study about the use of handsets noticed how these gadgets affect the thinking of children.
Dr. Adam Miklosi said that smartphones and tablets could rewire the brain of children. He discovered that there are long-term effects that could negatively leave a lasting impact on young users.
"They know how adults use these devices but the way children use them, and the impact they have on children, is very different. We need a lot more research, as well as ethical guidelines for their use by children," he added.
For Dr. Caroline Fitzpatrick, the use of smart home devices could bring out a decline in the social skill quality of the children. This is because they tend to spend more time on screen than on their peers.
Additionally, they tend to struggle in verbally communicating with other people, as well as using polite expressions when talking. This could resort to increased isolation and decreased quality of relationships with their family members, friends, and even teachers.
Fitzpatrick said that this wouldn't be alarming if the parents will restrict the children's activity when using a smart gadget.
Read Also: Hey Siri: Meet Susan Bennett, the Real Voice Behind Apple's Voice Assistant
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Written by Joseph Henry
