It all starts with overhauled parental control tools to reduce the risk of curious kiddos happening upon inappropriate content while chatting it up with Google Assistant on speakers, smart displays, and related gadgets. These new tools will be available on multiple company-wide apps, including Google Home, Family Link, and Google Assistant. The software allows you to modify media settings to disallow certain content providers, completely disable Assistant functionality, and set up automatic downtime for your kids when the system will be unavailable. These tools are also accessible when using Google Assistant by saying, “Hey, Google, open Assistant settings.” Additionally, this update includes a brand new kids’ dictionary that gives “simplified and age-appropriate answers” when interacting with Google Assistant. Once the kid is voice-matched in the system, Google Assistant automatically switches to this child-friendly dictionary when it hears their voice. Finally, there are four new child voices for Google Assistant, so kids don’t have to listen to icky adults when they want to know the definition of “fluorescent.” These voices were developed with a diverse range of accents to reflect different communities, and they speak in slower and more expressive styles that Google says are inspired by teachers. The update launches “in the coming weeks,” and it looks like Google is rolling it out in batches, so keep checking for the new versions in your preferred app store.
