Should you buy your child an echo or a Google Home?

It's an exciting time to be a kid. From tablets to smartphones to refrigerators, everything is getting smarter, with more fun features for kids. And with the recent release of Echo Dot Kids Edition your kids could have their first chance to talk and play with their own voice assistant.

The $ 79 Kids Edition comes in a protective case to protect against shocks and falls. is fully populated with child-friendly audio books, games and music. Alexa herself is apparently harmless because she tells jokes, gives advice and answers your children's incessant questions in a friendly and patient manner.

However, there are some concerns about giving your child a constant listening device: what can he or will he or she record, and can your child use it at a later time? other purposes than the ones you wanted? The same goes for the cute Google Home Mini .

We asked technical and safety experts what were the pros and cons of buying a smart speaker for your child. Here is what we found.

Reasons for an Echo or a Google Home

It's just fun. Some of the best-rated Alexa games are for kids, like Jeopardy! and the popular games of adventure game Magic Door and ] Yes father . Other skills amuse the mundane activities in a way that might be difficult to replicate for parents. Bye Bye Cavities, for example, turns your child's toothbrush routine into a quest to defeat the "Cavity Family" while reinforcing the proper brushing technique.

Credit: Tom's Guide In a recent study commissioned by Google from Kelton Research, 35 percent of Google Home owners said that the device makes it easier for their children to be entertained, Amazon claims that tens of millions of homes use Alexa today, and that "" The idea that you can talk to a computer and make it react is exciting for kids, "said Ben Arnold, senior director of innovation and trends at the Consumer Technology Association. Arnold says that he would "certainly be interested" in buying an echo for his children. "Kids love talking to Google Assistant or Alexa, they love this experience."

This allows them to have a length in advance. " Voice is one of the most exciting things happening in technology," Arnold said. Research supports him. Voice assistants are one of the technologies adopted that develop fastest. According to a recent study CTA Echo and Google Home tripled last year.

MORE: Echo Dot Kids Edition Review: The Best Alexa for Kids

In other words, by the time your child grows up, smart technology -home will probably be more ubiquitous than we could have imagined. The sooner your children are comfortable to listen and talk to voice assistants – and earlier they understand the security risks they bring – better they are equipped for the future.

This means less screen time. Smartphone addiction is a real problem for kids and teens: Common Sense Media survey reveals that 50% of teens believe they are addicted to their phone, while 59% of parents say their phone 66% said their teens spent too much time on mobile devices.

Alexa can offer your children an interactive, screen-less alternative to mobile games and social media, to help them not become overly addicted. While many parents criticize their teens for using their phones instead of face-to-face interactions, Alexa encourages conversational skills. With FreeTime, you can even set a positive reinforcement for the use of the word "please".

"Children spend a lot of time on screens," said Arnold. But with Alexa, "they are able to interact with technology away from the screen, using audio or their audio capabilities."

Why not skip

Security and privacy issues. When it comes to smart home technology, the convenience often comes with security risks. Geoffrey Schorz, national director of training at the Swann Communications home security company, was frank about the Echo devices: "I do not want them in my kids' rooms."

There are few cases where an Alexa device is hacked, and Amazon claims that the Echo Dot Kids Edition is compliant with the law on protecting children's privacy online.

In April, the security company Checkmarx was able to create an Alexa skill that would allow a hacker to register a user even after the end of his interaction with Alexa, and send that record to the pirate. Back in November, Armis discovered that the Echo and Google Home devices were vulnerable to BlueBorne, an infamous Bluetooth exploit, which allowed hackers to remotely access devices without the knowledge owners.

[1945908] Amazon quickly corrected these two vulnerabilities, but as Echo devices become more popular, "Be sure to become more vulnerable," said Michael Parker, vice president of marketing for Armis. "Remember when we had laptops and put them on the Internet – boom, suddenly you had all these viruses?" he said. Smart devices are, he said, "the new vector of attack".

But even when there is no hacker present, a misinterpretation on the part of Alexa can lead to bad news. In late May an Echo device accidentally interpreted a background conversation as direct commands and ended up recording the private conversation of a user and sending it to another user in his notebook d & # 39; addresses. As an adult, these are risks that you can internalize – but the last thing you want is to send a recording of your child to a stranger.

This is another distraction. Schorz warns parents against providing their children with a device that could distract them from homework, chores and bedtime. Since all that a child needs to do is to say "Alexa" to start a game or activity, the temptation might be difficult for some children to resist, even if they were asked not to do it. ;use.

MORE: Best Alexa Skills for Kids

Fran Walfish, Family and Relationship Psychotherapist and Author of The Self Aware Parent, Warns Parents Not to Let Kids Become Addicted to Alexa for homework help. reminders, calling Ubers, or other amenities. The use of Alexa, she believes "allows addiction, rather than empowering your child to do things for himself."

And if your older children have an Echo Point with access to your Amazon account, they may be tempted to shop or download inappropriate content. "I have seen employees talking to Alexa and ordering things that they should not be doing," Parker said. What to do if you decide to buy an Echo or Google Home for your child

If you decide to make the jump and buy your child an Echo or a Google Home, make sure you know how keep it secure. If you are worried about your child's safety, consider asking him or her to mute the device at night or even unplug it. Keep abreast of the latest vulnerabilities and consider limiting the use of your child until it is corrected.

Schorz recommends certain restrictions. "It's the supervision, pay attention to what your kids are doing." Schorz does not allow his children to access their Echo devices or other electronic devices without permission and lets them not to enter the rooms.

If you are worried about what your child is doing, consider setting parental controls to limit their time ( Here's how to activate FreeTime on an Echo device ). A spokeswoman for Amazon said that they had heard from a number of parents who were pausing on their children's Echo devices during homework to avoid distraction. (and potential cheating).

And do not forget to closely monitor their interactions and purchases (and possibly disable voice buying, if they use the adult version), to make sure that They do not abuse the privilege.

Credit: Amazon