Amazon is turning Alexa into a reading companion for kids. Echo devices are getting a kid-friendly upgrade with two new features: Reading Sidekick and Alexa Voice Profiles for Kids. Families who use the opt-in feature are able to create a voice profile for up to four kids, and a variety of parental controls have been configured to filter content when a child’s voice profile is being used (like silencing text messages and calls). The integrations are designed to personalize kids’ experiences with Alexa, which will be able to identify childrens’ voices and respond to requests like “Alexa, let’s read.” When activated, Reading Sidekick will take over as the child’s reading companion, asking questions like what book they’re reading, what page they left off on, and if they want to take turns reading. The new features require an Amazon Kids+ Subscription, which gives families access to kid-friendly books, TV shows, movies, educational apps/games, and more. YPulse’s tech & device research shows that 35% of Millennial parents own a smart speaker, and they’re more likely to have one than their non-parent peers. (TechCrunch)
