Ethical considerations in child-robot interactions

Langer, Allison; Marshall, Peter; Levy-Tzedek, Shelly

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105230

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 76 publications

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“…These included societal implications (environmental impact, over-reliance on technological solutions to mental health problems), commercial considerations (surveillance and data security, harmful advertising), and personal experiences (judgment from others for using a robot, feeling responsible for the robot's feelings, making the robot angry, feeling rejected by the robot). These themes are consistent with those of other user groups, including older adults [14,15,24,41,[48][49][50]. However, children and families also pointed to the unique advantages of a robots as responsive smart objects, particularly as a non-judgmental source of social support and pet-like comfort objects.…”

Section: Ethicssupporting

confidence: 79%

“A Safe Space for Sharing Feelings”: Perspectives of Children with Lived Experiences of Anxiety on Social Robots

Dosso,

Kailley,

Martin

et al. 2023

MTI

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Social robots have the potential to support health and quality of life for children experiencing anxiety. We engaged families with lived experiences of pediatric anxiety in social robot development to explore desired design features, application areas, and emotion functionalities of social robots in anxiety care. We conducted 10 online co-creation workshops with (1) children with anxiety aged 7–13 (n = 24) with their family members (n = 20), and (2) youth with anxiety aged 14–18 (n = 12). Workshop participation included a validated robot expectations scale, anonymous polls, and discussion. Transcripts and text responses were subjected to content analysis. A lived experience expert group provided feedback throughout the research. Participants desired a pet-like robot with a soft texture, expressive eyes, and emotion detection to support activities of daily living. Specific anxiety-related applications included breathing exercises, managing distressing thoughts, and encouragement. Emotional alignment, the design of a robot’s emotional display, and the emotional impacts of an interaction were discussed. Privacy and the replacement of human interaction were concerns. We identify pediatric anxiety-specific design features, applications, and affective considerations for existing and future social robots. Our findings highlight the need for customizability and robust emotional functionality in social robot technologies intended to support the health and care of children living with anxiety.

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