With Amazon Echo smart speakers continuing to get better and more popular, it’s only natural that you’d want to buy one for your kids.

After all, it can do everything from playing their favorite music to homework help. 

But wait: is the Amazon Echo safe for children? The short answer is yes. 

Here’s what you should know before letting your kids use Alexa:

Amazon Echo devices are Kid-Friendly

Alexa is a voice assistant that can do many things, from playing music to answering questions. It’s also very kid-friendly, with some caveats. 

Alexa offers a variety of commands and games for kids (and adults) to play with, including jokes and trivia quizzes. 

Keep in mind that it’s always listening. 

You can say “Alexa,” or another wake word that you choose like “Computer” or “Amazon.” When your child says this word while they’re in range of the device, they’ll be connected with Alexa immediately—and there isn’t any way around it unless you turn off the microphones altogether (which defeats the purpose). 

This means that even when you aren’t talking directly into an Echo device and kids are playing games on their own devices nearby, they could still be connected with someone else’s Echo at any time without anyone knowing about it until something goes wrong.

* There’s no mute option for children under 13 years old so parents need to keep an eye on what their kids are hearing.* 

You don’t have much control over what your child can ask Alexa or how long she’ll listen before responding so it’s best not leave them alone without supervision

Child Profiles Allow You to Limit What Your Kids Can Do

In the Alexa app, you can create a Child Profile for each of your kids. 

These profiles allow you to set time limits and block certain content from being accessed by your kids. 

You can also set specific learning skills for them and limit what they can do with their devices.

You can even create a bedtime for your child’s profile, so if it’s late enough in the evening that you want them to go to bed, this setting will kick in automatically.

Alexa Can’t Understand Kids’ Voices Very Well

You might wonder if Alexa can understand kids’ voices. The answer is: no, not really.

Kids speak differently than adults — and it may be hard for your child to realize that this is an issue when they’re talking with Alexa.

Kids tend to speak more quickly than adults, so they can run out of breath more easily when talking with Alexa (and she won’t respond).

They also tend to speak louder than an adult would—which means that it may be hard for her to hear them if they’re too far away from the microphone or there’s noise in the background like music or construction outside your home.

Finally, kids often use short sentences or incomplete sentences when speaking — and sometimes don’t use complete words at all — which can make it difficult for Alexa’s software to understand what you want done!

There’s a Parental Lock to Prevent Your Kid From Changing Settings

To set up parental controls, go to your Alexa app and select Settings > Parental Controls. 

You can choose whether or not you want to turn on this feature and then create a four-digit code (this is the same code used for Amazon accounts). Once you have created a passcode, enter it in the following screen.

After that, all of Alexa’s smart speaker settings will be locked in place with one exception: You can still make purchases through Amazon’s store by speaking directly to the device—it won’t accept any other commands unless there’s an emergency situation.

If you’re worried about leaving your kid alone with this tech giant as their babysitter but don’t want them playing around with all your settings either, then parental controls are just what they need!

You Can Use Screen Time to Limit Device Usage

You can set time limits for specific apps or devices, so your kids don’t spend too much time playing games or watching videos on Alexa.

You can also use Screen Time to limit the amount of time your child spends using all devices connected to Amazon, including Fire TV and Fire Tablets. 

Where To Keep Alexa?

The best way to keep your kids safe with Alexa is to keep the device in a room they have limited access to. 

This means you should not place it in a room where you spend a lot of time, like the living room or kitchen, and definitely not in the bedroom or bathroom. 

You also shouldn’t put it anywhere near a sink or bathtub. 

These are all places where water can get into the device and cause damage that may be hard for even an adult tech expert to fix!

Conclusion

Alexa is a great way to make your house easier to control, and can even be fun for your kids, as long as you take precautions. 

The best thing you can do is limit the amount of access they have to your device and turn off features that aren’t kid-friendly. 

You also want to keep an eye on them while they use it so that you know what kinds of content or information they’re looking up online.

If there are any issues with Alexa being too hard for them to understand, try changing the pronunciation settings in Settings > Device Options > Personalization > Pronunciation Help (you may need an adult account). 

Once everything has been set up properly, let them play around with their new best friend!