by BabyCenter Guest Blogger posted in Parenting

By Jordan Lee Wilcox, Common Sense Media

My wife and I are avid users of technology. We shop online, we stream content to a myriad of devices in our home, and we have come to depend on apps like Google Maps for day-to-day life.

So when we decided to upgrade our smartphones, we jumped on the carrier's offer of a "free Google Home Mini with every purchase." Digital assistants are the latest and greatest in home automation, and I was all over it.
I played a few trivia games. I asked for recipe and shopping suggestions. And I called out for music playlists as I puttered about the house. My two-and-a-half-year-old son is fascinated with the planets of our solar system, and with the help of these devices, we were able to teach him to rattle off every single one of their names in order -- including poor Pluto and the mysterious and theoretical Planet 9. It certainly seemed like these devices were delivering on their futuristic promises of functionality and seamless integration. Then one quiet afternoon, we heard my son call out, "Hey, Google," in his eager and warbled voice. He asked it to sing the alphabet song. Much to his delight, the assistant happily belted out the tune. Clearly imitating us, he began firing off more and more questions: "What is cheese"" "Who is mama"" It was hilarious and exciting, but after a few minutes, my stomach knotted up.
This was getting, well, w...