How children named Alexa are bullied and mistreated

Ground Report | New Delhi: How children named Alexa are bullied; British schoolchildren mock children, whose name is Alexa, because of the eponymous voice assistant from Amazon, the BBC portal reports, citing the words of the parents. Many children treat girls like a robot - shouting out their name and giving commands.

How children named Alexa are bullied

For example, one of the girls was mistreated by other children and even teachers because of her name, as soon as she went to high school.

“She even stopped giving her name when she met for fear of jokes about her. She was and still is a child, but even adults believe that joking at her is normal. At the same time, the school didn’t do anything about it and only advised her not to pay attention, ”said the girl’s mother, noting the deterioration of her daughter’s mental state.

In the end, a flurry of bullying forced her to change the name of the girl and change her school.

“Now she's feeling better. We transferred her to another school and do not allow her to communicate with former classmates - let her start a new life. However, we will never forget what happened, ”the woman said.

Bullied because of name

Another girl, only six years old, was also bullied because of her name. “It all started when the older children started telling her: 'Hey, Alexa, start a disco.' The other kids immediately picked up on this and started shouting out other commands. And the other day we were in the park, and every boy said similar things to her. 

She began to fall silent. I think it affects her confidence, especially since even adults laugh at her. My daughter even confessed to me that she didn’t want people to know her name, ”said the victim's mother.

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In the UK, there are several thousand people named Alexa under the age of 25. Concerned parents urge the company to change the name of the intelligent system to inhuman, but Amazon is limited only to reports that the company is saddened by what is happening, condemns bullying, and recommends using alternative calls to the assistant since the user can choose the trigger word independently.

Alexa is a Human

At the same time, the problem is not only in the UK but also in other countries. Lauren Johnson from the United States launched a campaign called “Alexa is a Human”. Johnson's daughter was also attacked by others.

“All these jokes have long gone beyond the normal range. This is the erasure of personality. The word "Alexa" has become synonymous with servant or slave. This gives people the right to treat people with the name Alex with disdain, ”said Johnson.

She added that for older children, many of the Alex jokes can be sexual in nature. Moreover, this problem also affects adults. Alexa from Germany also suffers from such jokes both in her personal and professional life.

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“If I make a presentation at work, as soon as I say my name, someone always gives a comment related to the voice assistant,” she told the BBC. Alexa isn't the only voice assistant whose name is also used by real people. However, representatives of domestic companies said they had never received such complaints.

“We have not received messages from users about bullying. Alice not only helps but also makes friends with users. She knows how to recognize the voices of children in order to offer them their favorite songs, reads them fairy tales, helps to develop speech with the "Easy to Tell" skill. And also, if it's a bad day, it can cheer up or give a compliment to both children and adults, ”the Yandex press service noted.

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