Kids were being rude to Alexa, so Amazon updated it.

By USA today

Politeness counts, at least when kids ask Alexa a question on an Amazon Echo speaker.

Soon, Alexa will exhibit positive reinforcement for good manners. For example, let's say a kid asks Alexa a math problem. They ask, "Alexa, please tell me what 5 plus 7 is." The voice inside the Echo will supply the right answer. But, it will also say: "By the way, thanks for asking so nicely."

Amazon calls it the new "magic word" feature. It starts to roll out in a software upgrade for the Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot smart speakers on May 9. It is part of a set of free parental controls called FreeTime for Alexa.

The feature reveals that Amazon is paying attention to customers. Many were concerned that the act of rudely commanding Alexa to do something sends out the wrong kind of message, especially to the youngest members of your household.

First, Set Up FreeTime Parental Controls

The new parental controls for Echo are a version of the FreeTime parental controls. They debuted five years ago on Amazon's kid-friendly Fire tablets.

Such controls on Echo speakers will let parents block voice purchases by the kids. They can also filter explicit song lyrics, and choose the content the kids can listen to or the Alexa "skills" they can take advantage of. They can also set bedtime limits that temporarily pause or suspend the use of an Echo. Through a software dashboard, parents can see their kids' Alexa activity, and review the youngster's voice recordings in the app.

What's more, when the controls are enabled, Alexa will change the manner in which it responds to kid queries. Alexa will make the answers more approachable or informative.

For example, if an adult today asks Alexa how many planets there are, the adult gets a straightforward response. Alexa will say, "there are eight planets."

The answer is different when a kid asks. If a kid asks the same question  Alexa will list each of the planets. Then Alexa will go on to explain some more. "Pluto is considered a dwarf planet, although it is still awesome."

If the kid wonders why Pluto is awesome, Alexa responds this way: "Pluto is awesome because it wasn't a planet, then it was, now it's not. It's considered a dwarf planet by scientists. Just because you're small, though, doesn't mean you're not important."

Amazon has also given some thought to how Alexa will answer more delicate questions. Giving not only age-appropriate but factual responses. Should the child wonder how babies are made, Alexa answers, "People make people, but how they're made would be a better question for a grown-up."

And if the kid tells Alexa that "I'm being bullied," the response is, "I'm so sorry to hear that. You should talk to your parents, a teacher or another trusted grown-up. Bullying is never OK."

The new features arrive with some limitations. Echo speakers lack voice recognition. It cannot determine whether an adult is asking a question or if it is the youngster asking. That means a parent would have to manually turn FreeTime on or off each time an older or younger family member wanted to quiz an Echo. It isn't quite practical. Especially if it is in a common area such as the kitchen. In that sense, FreeTime for Alexa is probably best turned on for an Echo situated where kids hang out. It works best in a kids' bedroom or playroom.

There is another drawback. Out of the gate, FreeTime on Alexa does not work with the Echo Show or the Echo Spot. These are Amazon's smart speakers with displays.

Amazon also announced a version of FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa. It is a premium version of FreeTime. It protects kids behind a walled garden. It includes age-appropriate books, Audible audiobooks, videos, apps, games, ad-free radio stations and playlists from iHeartRadio Family. It also includes Alexa skills from the likes of Disney, Nickelodeon and National Geographic, including characters the kids can wake up to.

There's no additional cost if you already subscribe to FreeTime Unlimited on a Fire tablet. Otherwise, Prime members can get FreeTime Unlimited for $2.99 per month.

Also New: Echo Dot Kids

Amazon launched the $79.99 Echo Dot Kids Edition. It is a version of the Echo Dot. It comes with a free one-year subscription of FreeTime Unlimited, a red, green or blue protective case, and a two-year, Amazon-will-take-it-back guarantee. Amazon started taking pre-orders on April 25.

"Amazon is doing something that's been widely asked, which is rewarding kids for saying 'please,'" says Avi Greengart. He is a tech analyst at GlobalData. "Perhaps that will lessen the fear that some parents have that adding an AI (artificial intelligent assistant) is ruining kids' etiquette."

Not everyone is happy with what Amazon is doing with kids.

"Amazon is luring kids with bright colored packaging and caretakers with parental controls, but this is a commercial intrusion into family life to which we should all say 'no!'" says Josh Golin. He is executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. "AI devices not only raise a host of privacy concerns but also interfere with the face-to-face interactions and kid-driven play that children need to grow and thrive."