Sorry, but Alexa is making children SO rude!

Having dinner at a younger relative’s house a few months ago, i inadvertently sent everyone into fits of giggles when i spoke to the alexa. ‘Hello alexa, could you please tell me what the weather forecast is next weekend, thank you?’ i asked. i don’t have an alexa, so i had no idea that this wasn’t how you spoke to her. i didn’t understand what i’d done wrong.

‘Why are you talking like that?’ someone asked. i looked blankly. ‘You’re so polite,’ said the host, who is in her 20s. ‘You don’t have to say “please” or “thank you”.’ She demonstrated by berating the poor device.

‘it just sounds a bit . . . rude,’ i winced. ‘it’s like having a slave.’ Everyone laughed and rolled their eyes at how quaint and oldfashioned i was.

i know it’s just a machine and doesn’t have feelings, but it still felt brusque and, well, a bit horrible. Surely it’s a slippery slope from barking orders at a machine to shouting at real-life people?

So i felt somewhat vindicated last week, when i read that experts have raised concerns that alexa, Siri and google Home — voice- controlled devices, popular in homes worldwide — may have long-term consequences for children. The worry is that these machines could impede children’s learning skills, critical thinking and — as i’d suspected — empathy.

Dranmol arora, a researcher at Cambridge University, argued that the devices may affect child development for a number of reasons. When they ask a question they receive a ‘specific’ and ‘concise’ answer, but this goes against how children typically learn.

Traditionally, children piece together bits of information to create a web of knowledge, rather than try to assimilate random facts that don’t necessarily tie together or have context or, crucially, explanation of the reasoning behind the answer.

So the knowledge they get from the devices may well be technically correct, but it is nowhere near as enriching as if the child has asked a real, live person the question.

it gives them the knowledge — but not the understanding. Because they don’t have to search for the answer, they don’t advance their critical thinking or logical reasoning.

and it’s not just young children who are affected either. i’ve noticed this with 20-something doctors who are so used to having every piece of knowledge at their fingertips, thanks to internet search engines, they seem to lack the ability to extrapolate and answer any question they c a n’ t google. They lack the ability to problem solve or to use their knowledge to solve any unusual clinical problems they come up against.

if you think that’s alarming, consider Dr arora’s other suggestion: that devices like alexa might also hinder children’s social development precisely because voice assistants can’t teach them how to behave politely — there is no need to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ or use a considerate tone of voice.

‘The lack of ability to engage in non- verbal communication makes using the devices a poor method of learning social interaction. While in normal human interactions, a child would usually receive feedback if they were to behave inappropriately, this is beyond the scope of a smart device,’ Dr arora argued. in other words, alexa can’t tell them off for being rude. ready for another depressing fact? research has shown that children in a home with a device speak to it daily, while talking to their grandparents only every ten days.

The same poll found that nearly threequarters admitted they didn’t say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ when speaking to the smart speakers. i can’t help but feel this must affect their interaction with people. How do you make the distinction between demanding alexa play the latest Taylor Swift single and asking someone in a shop for help? Words like ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ are powerful social lubricants. They make the world run smoothly, they signify respect and humility. They are an acknowledgement of the humanity of others. Surely that’s incredibly important? it is myopic that we don’t pay more attention to the impact technology is having on the younger generation.

i think part of the lapse in standards of English is because of technology — texting has meant children aren’t used to forming proper sentences.

THESE devices also impact on young people’s non-verbal communication — including things such as eye contact. one colleague recently told me how so many children she comes across today struggle to look her in the eye.

i noticed this at a talk i gave to teenagers in a deprived part of london as part of a project to encourage more to apply to university. afterwards, they dutifully lined up to speak to me and i was astonished by how few of them actually looked at me.

instead, they stared at the floor and mumbled. i realised they are so used to communicating through instant messaging that they don’t know how to interact with someone who is sitting in front of them.

There’s no doubt technology has been a force for good. But please don’t tell me it isn’t also having a detrimental effect on how young people are developing. Thank you.

A DOCTOR who offered to pray for patients has been forced to attend a course on boundaries. But isn’t this an example of a doctor acting holistically? The reality is that prayer can be powerful. I’m reminded of that line by Tennyson: ‘More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.’