A display of Barbie Fashionistas is shown at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair in 2015 in New York.
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Millennial parents are actively seeking out toys, books and movies to educate their children about life and teach them values that align with their own.
Social interactions with parents, friends and teachers can have profound impacts on a child’s learning, development and understanding. What if some of those interactions are with AI systems?
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Before charging ahead to a world of AI babysitters and teacher or companion robots, we should consider this technology carefully to assess its appropriateness in children’s lives.
Play and storytelling are a crucial part of children’s cognitive development.
PixelCatchers
A new study shows how front yards can serve as windows into the inner lives of their residents – and their feelings about their home, neighborhood and city.
Corporate supply chains are riddled with high, uncounted emissions, as Lego discovered. New regulations mean more companies will face tough, sometimes surprising, choices.
While some children can be convinced to send their old toys to the op shop, or give clothes to younger friends to wear, other kids really struggle. Here’s why – and how parents and guardians can help.
Tech toys may claim to be educational – but those claims often aren’t backed by science.
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How should we understand what toys or ‘loose part’ materials support children’s play, and what’s the relationship of parents’ education and income to this? A study aims to find out.
Even playing with a fake gun comes with risks.
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Some finds toys for toddlers based on digital devices a bit confronting. But really they’re just updated versions of traditional toys for make-believe play such as doctor and tradie tool sets.
Can Black dolls help Black children better understand their racial identity?
Matel
Black children are prone to internalize messages of anti-Blackness. Can a Black doll that honors one of America’s most noteworthy Black women do anything to reverse the trend?
Is a science kit, some Lego, or building blocks best for fostering kids’ STEM skills and creativity? Fear not – it’s not what’s in the box, but what happens after you open it, that’s most important.
Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society & School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University