ABSTRACT
On 17 February 2015, the article entitled “Barbie doll will be internet connected to chat to kids” was published on the BBC website. The article showcased the latest advances in the toys industry and provided a number of examples in which toy makers are partnering with hi-tech companies to develop smart toys that can “keep up with the expectations of children” (Natasha Crookes, Director of communication for the British Toy and Hobby Association). Popular smart toys including the recently released “Hello Barbie” use technologies such as speech recognition or Google’s translation tools, which allow them to have two-way conversations with children, to tell jokes and even to answer children’s questions. However, the advent of smart toys is not exempt from risks. For instance, toy software vulnerabilities have been discovered which allowed some toys to be hacked to say things that might not be suitable for children. In spite of this, companies argue that they “take a lot of care making sure that there are whitelists and blacklists for content” and that (smart) “toys can enhance
ABSTRACT The body of knowledge about children’s engagement with digital technologies has steadily grown in the last decade. Such rich evidence has begun to be used to inform policy-makers, (local) governments, parents, educators, awareness-raisers and even children themselves. However, other relevant stakeholders such as the industry seem to be taking less advantage of this rich knowledge base. Without industry collaboration, the work of media scholars presents a missed opportunity to ensure that children are better protected and empowered and that their rights are taken into consideration in the development of new digital products and services. Merely informing the industry is, however, not enough. Scholars must ensure that their knowledge translates into practical guidelines and concrete solutions to guarantee children`s better and safer digital experiences. This can only be achieved by keeping on building new knowledge, but also by exploring new avenues for cooperation and co-creation of childcentred solutions with partners such as the industry, but also with children themselves. Last, it remains to be seen whether the benefi ts outweigh the challenges and the costs involved in collaboration.
