Substack screen timeFrom screen-time to surveillance-time: why kids’ rooms are becoming data zones скачать в хорошем качестве

Substack screen timeFrom screen-time to surveillance-time: why kids’ rooms are becoming data zones

Article link: https://open.substack.com/pub/johanos... We’ve spent years debating children’s screen-time, but the bigger shift is that many “smart” toys and AI companions are designed to listen. When microphones move into bedrooms and other private spaces, the risk changes from what children might see to what their home life quietly reveals: voice recordings, routines, tone, and behavioural patterns that can be captured, analysed, and potentially stored or shared. This turns childhood into a data stream, often without families fully understanding what is collected, where it goes, or how long it stays there. The article argues that this is not only a privacy issue, but a dignity and relationship issue, especially as “emotional AI” tools are built to feel comforting and attentive. That can blur boundaries and create dependency or manipulation risks, which demands a clearer duty of care. The practical takeaway is simple: companies must design child-facing products to be safe by default, regulators must modernise expectations without creating more surveillance, and parents should keep always-on microphones out of private spaces and ask hard questions before bringing these devices into the home.