Children trust these tech toys with feelings
19.4.2023
Translation: machine translated
Alexa can get angry, the robot vacuum can get sad: According to a study, young children think that technical devices have feelings and minds.
Since my son has been able to formulate comprehensible sentences, Alexa has had a lot more to do in his nursery. "Alexa, turn the light strip on!" or "Alexa, play Simone Sommerland!" are often his first childish commands in the morning. And woe betide me if I unplug the little machine to load the Toniebox. Then he comes to me sadly and tells me: "Mum, Alexa is broken!" Poor Alexa!
As a study by Duke University in Durham has now found out, children have a particularly emotional relationship with technical household devices such as Alexa and Co. The study investigated how children between the ages of four and eleven react to virtual voice assistants as opposed to household helpers such as robot hoovers. The scientists asked 127 children whether they believe that Alexa and Roomba have the ability to think and feel. To do this, they showed them a 20-minute video in which the skills of the tech assistants were presented.
The results are exciting: the children surveyed believe that voice assistants are more intelligent than vacuum robots. However, the majority of respondents believe that neither Alexa nor the cleaning robots should be hit or shouted at.
The anger of Alexa
The children even believe that the voice assistants have emotional abilities: some of the respondents said that Alexa could get angry if you were mean to her. "Young children think that Alexa has feelings and a mind, even if she doesn't have a body," says Teresa Flanagan, the lead author of the study. However, children do not think this about every technology. "It must have to do with the ability to communicate verbally," explains Flanagan.
According to the study, however, children's concern diminishes as they get older. Although they still don't think it's great to attack devices, it's okay to vent their anger at them if necessary. One ten-year-old in the study, for example, expressed the fear that "the microphones will break if you shout too loudly". Another child worried that the robot might "feel sad".
Cover photo: Sharomka/Shutterstock
A true local journalist with a secret soft spot for German pop music. Mum of two boys, a dog and about 400 toy cars in all shapes and colours. I always enjoy travelling, reading and go to concerts, too.
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