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Looking to make your Amazon Echo more kid friendly? There are plenty of ways to do so while making it an invaluable, and secure, tool for both learning and entertainment!
Using the Amazon Echo For Children
The Amazon Echo is, in my opinion, a great smart home device if you have kids in your household. It can read bedtime stories, help with homework, and even play educational games that parents can pick and choose from. What’s more, its voice-controlled, which lets kids interact with the technology in ways that enhance learning even from a young age.
However, safety is still one of the biggest issues and, if left unprotected, children can easily access inappropriate content or unknowingly compromise their privacy. That is why utilizing parental controls and customization options to create a secure environment are so very important.
Setting Up Parental Controls on Your Amazon Echo Device
When it comes to parental controls and customizations, the Echo really does pretty well. Parents can limit access to certain types of content, restrict unwanted purchases, and even monitor your children’s interactions. Additionally, customization options let you tailor Alexa’s abilities more specifically so it can focus on delivering educational skills and functionalities appropriate for each child’s age and interests.
Activating parental controls on your Amazon Echo is a fairly easy process if you are doing so via the Alexa app. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Once activated, you can restrict access to explicit content and features that may not be suitable for children. If you want to create an even more kid-friendly environment, parents can also restrict access to specific types of content through the app:
You should also navigate toVoice Purchasingand disable the feature or set it to require approval to prevent unauthorized purchases.
Managing Privacy and Security Settings
Protecting your child’s privacy is one of the key aspects of using an Echo device, and one of the things you’ll want to add to your routine whenever setting up or checking on their device. Follow these guidelines to secure the device:
Customizing Alexa Skills for Kids
The Alexa Skills Store has a pretty large collection of educational and entertainment skills andfun games you can play on an Amazon Echo, all tailored specifically for children. To explore these options:
And, if you want to disable a skill, simply find it inYour Skillswithin the app and chooseDisable Skill. It is as simple as that.
Enabling Kid-Friendly Communication
Being able to set up family-friendly routines and announcements is one of the unique benefits of Amazon Echo devices, and one that I personally use a lot. We have set up bedtime routines to let our children know when it is time to start winding down, and announcements for when it’s time to put down their games and sit down and read.
you’re able to setRoutinesin the Alexa app to create custom routines, like bedtime reminders. Meanwhile, you can use theAnnouncementsfeature to broadcast messages across all connected Echo devices, ensuring family members stay informed.
Another fun and easy thing your Echo can do if you want to be able to communicate with and keep an eye on your kiddos even while you are not in the same room is to activate Alexa-to-Alexa. This lets you chat with your kids from afar, and can be done by going to theCommunicationsettings in the Alexa app. You can then enable permissions for your child’s Echo device to call specific contacts.
Configuring Your Music and Media Settings
Finally, to make sure that your kids are only seeing and listening to age-appropriate content on their Echo, you can easily set up playlists and even restrict certain media types through compatible streaming services enabled with parental controls.
If you want kid-friendly music services, make sure to check out Amazon Music, Spotify Kids, and Apple Music. Each of these services offersshared playlists controlled by parentsand can filter content for family-friendly listening experiences. All you need to do is link them through the app and they should automatically filter what your kids listen to on associated devices.
In the end, through thoughtful customization and effective parental controls, your Echo can become a safe benefit to your children, helping them explore, learn, and communicate securely. But, as with most things tech-related, it is all up to each parent to decide how to use it!
