Critics say monitor’s too much a mommy
Smart hub raises concerns for privacy, child development
Children’s health and privacy advocates are petitioning toy giant Mattel not to release a kidfocused smart hub called Aristotle, which they argue gives an unprecedented look into the personal lives of children.
The device can switch on a night light if it hears a baby crying to soothe the child. Once a child is past the night-light phase of life, the smart hub is designed to keep changing its activities, even to the point where it can help a preteen with homework. And the device is learning about the child along the way.
Objections to Aristotle are twofold, say physicians and child advocates. For one, the existence of a home hub for kids raises questions about data privacy. It also triggers broader concerns about how quickly companies are marketing products to parents without understanding how technology could affect early childhood development.
The issue has drawn attention from Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who sent Mattel a letter last week asking the toymaker for more information on how it will store and retain data it collects on children.
While exhausted parents may welcome Aristotle’s help, they should remember that it’s no substitute for their presence, experts say. “My main concerns about this technology … is the idea that a piece of technology becomes the most responsive household member to a crying child, a child who wants to learn, or a child’s play ideas,” said pediatrician Jennifer Radesky, who wrote the American Association of Pediatrics’ 2016 media guidelines for children 0-6 years of age.
Mattel did not respond to a request for comment on the device and its implications.