Kids Are Spending More Time with Voice, but Brands Shouldn't Rush to Engage Them

Stop and think about data collection

Kids are using smart speakers and voice assistants as much as—if not more than—adults, and that poses a problem for brands in the space: They could be unintentionally gathering and cataloging data from children younger than 13. Dylan Collins, CEO of child-oriented technology provider SuperAwesome, spoke with eMarketer's Sean Creamer about kids' smart speaker usage and how Amazon is setting a data-collection example for brands.

eMarketer:

How likely are kids to be voice users, even though the devices were created with adults in mind?

Dylan Collins:

Kids have been flooding the internet for years, and they're adopting smart speakers at a faster rate than anyone expected. Our research found that 91% of kids between ages 4 and 11 in the US have access to a smart speaker or voice assistant. We also found that 26% of kids exposed to voice technology engage with smart speakers between 2 and 4 hours per week, and 20% talk to devices more than 5 hours a week.

Interview conducted on March 15, 2018

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