Mattel is scrapping its voice assistant for kids amid privacy concerns

(Image credit: Courtesy of Nabi)

published 5 October 2017

Alexa Jr. won't be hitting playrooms anytime soon.

Mattel has dropped its plans for a children's smart home hub called Aristotle — essentially an Amazon Echo for kids — amid privacy concerns. Aristotle was designed to span a child's development and do everything from calm a crying baby to help a preteen with her homework. Beyond its audio and voice capabilities, Aristotle also included a camera to use as a baby monitor.

However, Aristotle has been a subject of controversy since launching under Mattel's Nabi brand back in January, as children's health and privacy advocates argued that the device could see too far into children's lives. Some critics petitioned Mattel to scrap the device, while pediatricians expressed concern that children would grow to depend on Aristotle over their parents, as Aristotle's responsiveness meant it could comfort a child before a parent could.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

As a result, the toy company opted not to release Aristotle, saying the device did not "fully align with Mattel's new technology strategy."

You'll just have to let Alexa turn on the night light for now.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.