54% surveyed parents often feel that they don’t have instant answers for kids’ questions, Amazon Alexa study

05 August, 2024, Bengaluru, India: Children are inherently curious and parents are always trying to find accurate answers that satiate their curiosity. This was apparent in a recent study commissioned by Amazon Alexa and conducted by Kantar among 750+ parents across six cities in June 2024. The survey reveals that about 54% of surveyed parents often feel that they don’t have instant answers for kids’ questions. It further indicates that 52% respondents instantly search and answer accurately if they don’t know the answer. What’s interesting to note is that 44% surveyed parents admitted to making up answers on the spot.

Only 3% surveyed parents ignore the question or change the topic to stop the kid from asking questions

“How to make a car?”, “How big is the universe?”, “How does an aeroplane fly?”, and “How do fish breathe under water?”, etc. are some of the curious questions asked by kids. About 60% of surveyed parents indicated that they often find themselves stumped when kids ask seemingly easy questions such as, “What season comes between winter and summer?”, “Why do parents have to work?”, and “Why do we wash vegetables?”, among others. Some parents even tend to deflect answers to their partner, with 37% of the survey pool admitting to asking their kids to go to the other parent with their questions.

Kids ask more questions when watching TV

The study further elaborates on children’s curiosity triggers; wherein 63% parents have revealed that their kids become more curious and ask questions when watching TV. Traveling (57%), studying (56%), outdoor activities (55%), watching content on handheld devices (52%), and listening to conversations amongst adults (50%) are the other five activities that ignite curiosity amongst kids. Moreover, food, animals, nature, general knowledge, holidays, technology, and movies emerged as some of the top topics that kids enquire about.

Technology has helped transform the way parents access and transfer information to their kids

The survey further states that more than 80% of parents often use technology to find information that can help them answers their kids’ questions. Technologies like voice AI services, including Alexa (available in devices like Echo smart speakers), can prove to be of great assistance in parenting as it can help parents find information or answers to their kids’ questions, helping their children in freely satiating their curiosity with ready responses. So, when kids are feeling curious, parents can take Alexa’s help by asking any number of questions across a wide range of topics, from science to history and beyond.

“From asking spontaneous questions to those that are more knowledge-based or unconventional for their age, kids are inherently curious and constantly on the hunt for answers about the world around them. It’s crucial for parents to respond to their questions in ways that are informative, simple to understand, constructive, and age-appropriate,” said Dilip R.S., Country Manager for Alexa, Amazon India. “Today, across the world, families with young kids ask Alexa 25 million questions per month – a testimony to Alexa becoming an information and learning hub for parents. Our focus remains on continuing to improve how families with young kids experience Alexa by packing it with relevant skills that can help them learn new things each day while also having fun.”

Parents encourage their kids to ask more questions

More than 90% of parents agree that they encourage their kids to asking more questions to help them continually grow and learn about new things. Nearly 92% of parents agree that they learn new things in this process of responding to their kids’ questions.

Deepender Rana, Executive Managing Director – South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar said “Kids these days are more curious than ever and parents always try their best to satiate their curiosity. While watching TV drives curiosity amongst kids and often leads to them asking more questions about the things they see and hear –majority of surveyed parents prefer screen-free learning for their kids. And this is where voice-first search, whether done by parents or by kids in their presence, proves to be a great screen-free solution to find answers and learn about the world.”

With numerous voice-first engaging experiences for kids on Alexa smart speakers like Echo Pop and Echo Dot, parents can engage their children with curiosity-driven content, with trust and safety at the forefront.