What technology should look like for kids
Issue #34
Imagine this scene: you're unwinding after a long day by watching your favorite sitcom rerun on Netflix. The episode ends. The credits begin to roll. You're nodding off on the couch—and before you know it, the next episode is already playing. Okay, just one more. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wasn't wrong when he said that the streamer's biggest competitor was sleep.
Adult technology is often designed to keep us engaged for as long as possible—bedtime be damned. But as parents, we know that it's not healthy for kids to be glued to their screens for long periods of time. Screen time itself is not inherently negative, but it can become problematic when it displaces other things like physical activity and sleep. That's why kid-tech needs to be designed with stopping cues, moments that encourage users to close the app and put their device down. Newsfeeds that are algorithmically curated don't ever end—there is no stopping cue. Newsfeeds that are chronological end when you're all caught up. You naturally close the app when that happens. At Kinzoo, we were careful to build stopping cues into our app because we don't want kids to scroll, tap and explore for hours on end. When you play games in Kinzoo, you get a stopping cue after three rounds. We know kids love games, and that's why it was important for us to include reminders to take a break now and then. It's just the right thing to do.
When it comes to healthy kid-tech, what you leave out of your app is just as important as what you include. That's because many of the features in adult platforms are designed to be "sticky." Things like "like buttons" are designed to draw us in. Seeing those little hearts and notifications causes our brains to release a little dopamine, and when something is fun and feels good, we naturally want more of it. That's why we intentionally built a platform without like buttons. We want to prioritize genuine connection over social validation metrics because we want kids to place importance on the real thing.
We want to build a business with long-term, sustainable value, so we tossed out the high-growth playbook when we built Kinzoo. We don't scan your list of contacts when you join. User profiles aren't searchable in the app. And, we let you choose what content you follow; there are no algorithms tracking you to figure out what makes you tick. We intentionally built friction into various points of the user journey, because the last thing we want is a bunch of children zombie scrolling for the benefit of our engagement metrics.
Technology is always designed with a purpose, whether that's helping us stay in touch or order food or pay for parking. And, the way technology is designed has consequences. Some features remind us to put our devices down and others keep us online. Some help us build genuine connections and others encourage us to collect hearts from strangers.
The recent headlines about technology have shown us that the platforms we rely on in our day-to-day are riddled with problems. And it's especially problematic for the most vulnerable users: our children. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to build healthy platforms for kids. As a father and the founder of a kid-tech company, I know we can give children access to the best of technology, without exposure to the worst of it. There are features, design decisions and business models that make tech healthier for younger users. We just have to be willing to put our users' wellbeing above viral growth. We can't let our bottom line be the sole consideration in how we build things. And anyone that tries to tell you otherwise isn't trying hard enough.
A deeper dive
Here are a few helpful resources in case you want to really dig into today's topic:
Adam Alter talks at length about stopping cues in his book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. The idea has influenced the way we think about design here at Kinzoo, and if you're interested in learning more, check out his Ted Talk here. **
In the tech world, friction is often cast as the enemy. And while making products easier to use isn't always a bad thing—there are some situations where ease can go too far. A few years ago, The New York Times took a look at the pros and cons of fiction when it comes to technology. Check out the expert insights here.
TL;DR
Too long; didn't read. It shouldn't be a full-time job to keep up on industry news, so here is a mercifully quick summary of some other notable developments:
Roblox is one of the most popular platforms for children today because it's a fun combination of gaming and social networking. The blocky, unrealistic avatars are beloved among users, but the company has indicated that they're planning to make characters more life-like and customizable. According to Tech Crunch, these are "choices that fit well with the company’s aspirations, both to keep the platform attractive as its young core user base ages up and to enable many forms of self-expression across its endless hub of virtual worlds."
If you're been following the tech news lately, you've probably heard more industry jargon than you care for. Whistleblowers, lawmakers and experts have been tossing around a lot of niche language, making it somewhat tricky to keep up. The New York Times has defined a few key terms here to help you cut through the noise.
And lastly
Here are a few more pieces of original writing from me and my team—just in case you're keen for more:
Throughout the pandemic, the UK-based platform OnlyFans has garnered a lot of press. It's become a popular destination for user-generated content, and a large portion of that content is explicit in nature. My team put together a parents' guide to explain everything you need to know.
By now, you probably know that I have... thoughts about Instagram for Kids. I recently contributed an article to Tech Crunch making a case for scrapping the platform, and you can check it out here!
Okay, that's it from me until next time. If you enjoyed this newsletter, and know of another parent who would as well, please feel free to forward it along.