By
C.J. Hirschfield
“Echo
Dot Kids: It’s sturdy! It’s safe! It’s kid friendly! It’s transaction free!”
The
Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) would add another
line to that Amazon marketing copy: It’s a marketing device!
Amazon
released the Echo Dot Kids Edition, a voice-activated assistant that the
company calls “a smart speaker with Alexa for kids,” in May 2018. CCFC, which
advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing, is countering with
presentations to various groups and conferences around the country. I just
viewed one such presentation, geared toward software developers, and I learned
a lot.
