9 ms·

Shouldn't parents be doing this? If they're not, then why did they have a kid? The robot seems well designed, inoffensive, and the company's focus is well inten

by spacecity1971 6y ago

Shouldn't parents be doing this? If they're not, then why did they have a kid? The robot seems well designed, inoffensive, and the company's focus is well intentioned, but I can't help thinking that this represents a complete societal failure on so many levels.

softwaredoug 6y ago
Not so much parents, but one of the best thing to do is have kids play independently with other kids without supervision and have them resolve their own problems. Sure parents can offer advice, but we don't jump in and fix it for them. One of the best things about free range parenting...
- paulryanrogers 6y ago
  This is true to a point. Vicious bullying and physical abuse are very real risks for children without enough supervision.
- JoeAltmaier 6y ago
  Yet the commercial shows total helicopter parents, hanging on every word and inflection between the child and the robot. I was taken aback.
loginx 6y ago
That's definitely one aspect of child rearing that every parent is (or should be) involved in, but young children often feel like they have to prove themselves to their parents. The end result is that they're usually only willing to learn things from their parents at a very shallow level. I've struggled with that aspect of child rearing with my 6 y/o since she was able to speak. She is far more willing to learn at a deep level from teachers than from us, even though her mother is an experienced elementary school teacher.
gowld 6y ago
Does this objection apply to all books and toys as well? Restaurants? Clothing and all other manufacturered goods? Why or why not?
- spacecity1971 6y ago
  This is a good question. I think the differences may lie in the perceived anthropomorphism and the difference that makes psychologically. Books, clothing etc are passive objects that utilize the imagination of the user in a definite way, whereas a talking robot with facial expressions taps into a specific set of neural/emotional cascades that, IMO, should be reserved for human interaction exclusively.
piercebot 6y ago
Having a robot companion as an "impartial" third party may help kids work through issues they (feel like they) can't talk with their parents about. For better or worse, parents are human beings, and (even unconsciously) may stigmatize behaviors or feelings that a child may experience, making it difficult for the child to bring up these issues with the parents. There is also the case where children may be neurologically atypical in a way that makes interacting with other humans difficult. This is another opportunity for a robot to shine. You're not wrong -- helping children develop social and soft skills does fall under the job description of being a good parent. But even parents with the best intentions may need help from time to time, and I would argue that a parent who can recognize the value in something like this (as a supplement, not a replacement for parenting) has the child's best interests in mind.
- rgrs 6y ago
  That's what friends are for.
  - dannycastonguay 6y ago
    My anecdotal evidence based on my own kids (3 of them) is that despite having (empathetic) parents, siblings, grand parents, friends, pets, and more, they still sometimes find comfort in material things like a stuffed toy animals, blankets, or figurines. I see Moxie as an experiment in making a more interactive stuff toy rather than a replacement for living things, and I'd probably try the toy for a week if it was less than $200.
    - rgrs 6y ago
      As another commenter said, stuffed toys atleast help with kids imagination skills. Interactive robots that gamify life, i don't think so
- dhruvkar 6y ago
  I would argue that this is larger than just parents. As a society, this should be a common aim -- to 'socialize' our children. Growing up, albeit not in the US, strangers would scold us kids for being noisy/bratty/destructive/etc. And our parents would be on the stranger's side, adding their two cents on top. Can't imagine that today. IMO the loss of the freedom to treat your local neighborhood as one big, loosely connected family (as a child and adult) is one of the biggest reasons for increase in depression, anxiety and lack of social/soft skills. Another reason is that local neighborhoods are few and far between because of how we've structured our cities.
ta1234567890 6y ago
Sure, that would be the ideal. But a lot of parents either don't have the skills or the willingness to do it. My parents had neither and I struggled with social issues all the way from childhood up to early adulthood, until I accidentally found good resources and support. Parents are not superheroes that know it all or can do it all.
Psyladine 6y ago
A societal failure for a society that no longer exists, maybe. The world of the 80s, 90s & early 00s is gone. You can't let your children wander the neighborhoods, kids don't have rituals of social achievement with clear stakes, winners and losers, and the priority of society is shifting to move as much of your interaction online for data mining and profiling as legally (and otherwise) possible. For many the first time they are "unsupervised" is legal adulthood, where college, military or employment forces social interactions in dimensions their young lives willfully resisted preparing them for. Why talk, when you can text?
agitator 6y ago
I agree that on the surface it seems like a pretty sad indicator of deeper societal issues. But I can see it being very helpful for children with various social disorders like autism. I don't have personal experience with this, but what I hear from parents with children who have such issues, is that they try to socialize their kids, but at best other children distance themselves from them, at worst they get bullied and pushed away. There's a chicken and egg problem there. I think a robot that is infinitely patient, reinforces healthy interactions, and provides a level of emotional support can definitely help in jump starting positive behavior. But at the same time, it has to be very accurate and perceptive in its interactions, otherwise it's obviously not a human, and might impede development in other ways.
klyrs 6y ago
> Shouldn't parents be doing this? Ideally, yes. But rather than focus on what parents should be doing, let's consider what parents are doing and how that affects the wellbeing of their kids. Should we give up on kids with bad parents, or should our society aim to diminish the impact of bad parenting?
- carapace 6y ago
  Of course "society [should] aim to diminish the impact of bad parenting". That's not what these robots are.

softwaredoug 6y ago

Not so much parents, but one of the best thing to do is have kids play independently with other kids without supervision and have them resolve their own problems. Sure parents can offer advice, but we don't jump in and fix it for them. One of the best things about free range parenting...

paulryanrogers 6y ago
This is true to a point. Vicious bullying and physical abuse are very real risks for children without enough supervision.
JoeAltmaier 6y ago
Yet the commercial shows total helicopter parents, hanging on every word and inflection between the child and the robot. I was taken aback.

loginx 6y ago

That's definitely one aspect of child rearing that every parent is (or should be) involved in, but young children often feel like they have to prove themselves to their parents. The end result is that they're usually only willing to learn things from their parents at a very shallow level. I've struggled with that aspect of child rearing with my 6 y/o since she was able to speak. She is far more willing to learn at a deep level from teachers than from us, even though her mother is an experienced elementary school teacher.

gowld 6y ago

Does this objection apply to all books and toys as well? Restaurants? Clothing and all other manufacturered goods? Why or why not?

spacecity1971 6y ago
This is a good question. I think the differences may lie in the perceived anthropomorphism and the difference that makes psychologically. Books, clothing etc are passive objects that utilize the imagination of the user in a definite way, whereas a talking robot with facial expressions taps into a specific set of neural/emotional cascades that, IMO, should be reserved for human interaction exclusively.

piercebot 6y ago

Having a robot companion as an "impartial" third party may help kids work through issues they (feel like they) can't talk with their parents about. For better or worse, parents are human beings, and (even unconsciously) may stigmatize behaviors or feelings that a child may experience, making it difficult for the child to bring up these issues with the parents. There is also the case where children may be neurologically atypical in a way that makes interacting with other humans difficult. This is another opportunity for a robot to shine. You're not wrong -- helping children develop social and soft skills does fall under the job description of being a good parent. But even parents with the best intentions may need help from time to time, and I would argue that a parent who can recognize the value in something like this (as a supplement, not a replacement for parenting) has the child's best interests in mind.

rgrs 6y ago
That's what friends are for.
- dannycastonguay 6y ago
  My anecdotal evidence based on my own kids (3 of them) is that despite having (empathetic) parents, siblings, grand parents, friends, pets, and more, they still sometimes find comfort in material things like a stuffed toy animals, blankets, or figurines. I see Moxie as an experiment in making a more interactive stuff toy rather than a replacement for living things, and I'd probably try the toy for a week if it was less than $200.
  - rgrs 6y ago
    As another commenter said, stuffed toys atleast help with kids imagination skills. Interactive robots that gamify life, i don't think so
dhruvkar 6y ago
I would argue that this is larger than just parents. As a society, this should be a common aim -- to 'socialize' our children. Growing up, albeit not in the US, strangers would scold us kids for being noisy/bratty/destructive/etc. And our parents would be on the stranger's side, adding their two cents on top. Can't imagine that today. IMO the loss of the freedom to treat your local neighborhood as one big, loosely connected family (as a child and adult) is one of the biggest reasons for increase in depression, anxiety and lack of social/soft skills. Another reason is that local neighborhoods are few and far between because of how we've structured our cities.

ta1234567890 6y ago

Sure, that would be the ideal. But a lot of parents either don't have the skills or the willingness to do it. My parents had neither and I struggled with social issues all the way from childhood up to early adulthood, until I accidentally found good resources and support. Parents are not superheroes that know it all or can do it all.

Psyladine 6y ago

A societal failure for a society that no longer exists, maybe. The world of the 80s, 90s & early 00s is gone. You can't let your children wander the neighborhoods, kids don't have rituals of social achievement with clear stakes, winners and losers, and the priority of society is shifting to move as much of your interaction online for data mining and profiling as legally (and otherwise) possible. For many the first time they are "unsupervised" is legal adulthood, where college, military or employment forces social interactions in dimensions their young lives willfully resisted preparing them for. Why talk, when you can text?

agitator 6y ago

I agree that on the surface it seems like a pretty sad indicator of deeper societal issues. But I can see it being very helpful for children with various social disorders like autism. I don't have personal experience with this, but what I hear from parents with children who have such issues, is that they try to socialize their kids, but at best other children distance themselves from them, at worst they get bullied and pushed away. There's a chicken and egg problem there. I think a robot that is infinitely patient, reinforces healthy interactions, and provides a level of emotional support can definitely help in jump starting positive behavior. But at the same time, it has to be very accurate and perceptive in its interactions, otherwise it's obviously not a human, and might impede development in other ways.

klyrs 6y ago

> Shouldn't parents be doing this? Ideally, yes. But rather than focus on what parents should be doing, let's consider what parents are doing and how that affects the wellbeing of their kids. Should we give up on kids with bad parents, or should our society aim to diminish the impact of bad parenting?

carapace 6y ago
Of course "society [should] aim to diminish the impact of bad parenting". That's not what these robots are.