There’s been a lot of hand-wringing in the public arena lately about the evils and dangers to our children of social media and time spent with electronic devices. And there’s a lot of validity to those concerns. Reportedly, children’s mental health is in decline, with more and more children reporting feelings of anxiety and depression all the time.
So, I was tickled to learn about an AI robot for children that promotes positive learning outcomes by focusing on emotional learning.
The newly-introduced Moxie robot uses play-based conversational activities to support age-appropriate learning for kids ages 5-10. It’s self-described as a “tutor, mentor, friend.” It uses play-based learning to help children regulate emotions, build self-confidence, communicate clearly, develop positive relationships, think creatively, and problem solve. For just one example, watch this video in which Moxie teaches a child about affirmations (positive statements to oneself to build self-confidence and self-motivation).
Moxie is expensive, thus will not be a possibility for every family. And user reviews of the robot are mixed, with some parents extremely appreciative of the device’s emotional skill-building capacity, and others complaining that the device’s AI appears simplistic. Nevertheless, I am encouraged by the focus on emotional health in the kids’ robot space.
This is not a plug for Moxie. It’s just new and seems different from the rest. The other robots for kids I’m familiar with focus on substantive learning, helping kids learn discrete facts and concrete skills (such as coding). Here and here are listings of some other robots specifically designed for kids.
