According to a British study, many are turning to technologies like Amazon Alexa to read bedtime stories to their children for them.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousWho reads the evening tale? But Alexa of course. This is the new (shocking) answer that so many parents have given in a new English research. Many have long since delegated the task of making their children doze off with a bedtime story to Amazon's talking gizmo.
That's right: despite Alexa's voice being a metallic voice and without any expressive inflection, more than a quarter of parents interviewed in a study commissioned by Charity BookTrust (a British volunteer organization that promotes children's reading) rely on Alexa or to other apps to tell kids a fairy tale so they don't have to. In the worst cases, tablets or mobile phones would also be used in falling asleep.
The reason? Adults report being too tired or too busy. And so there is a growing reliance on technology for evening reading.
A systematic review
The Charity Book Trust conducted a survey of 1000 UK parents with children under 10 to find out if the habit of reading bedtime stories was still part of daily family life, as a unique moment of sharing with their children.
Well, the results revealed that many parents rely on technology for this type of business. While nearly half (49%) say they want to share a story with their children every night, only 28% manage to do so. Three in ten (31%) say that work or commuting prevents them from returning home on time, while one in five simply feels "too busy".
One in four (26%) of British parents said they have tried using technology as virtual assistants for bedtime stories.
Yet, alas, reading a story remains one of the best experiences a child and parent can share and something that technology cannot replace.
BookTrust president Gemma Malley explains that parents are finding it “increasingly difficult” to fit bedtime stories into their schedule.
“I know from experience that it can be tempting to replace reading aloud with a device, but exchanging books with technology can have profound consequences. In reality, just ten minutes of reading a book together a day makes a difference ”.
And it is profoundly true. Reading a story aloud to your children is not only a sign of intimate sharing, but it also helps build the language, resilience, confidence and imagination of our own puppies. Let's continue to leaf through a book with them before turning off the light, it costs nothing and we will grow safe and aware adults!
Read also:
15 tips for reading books aloud to children
10 bedtime books to put babies to sleep
That's why you should read fairy tales to your children more often
Germana Carillo
