Google Home just got a lot more fun for your kids
Google Assistant just got a lot more fun.
Today, Google released over 50 new games and activities for kids and families to Google Assistant.
The games are available in the U.S. on Google Home devices, Android phones, and other smart devices with access to the Assistant. There are a wide variety of games, from Musical Chairs to Sports Illustrated Kids Trivia.
And it can get surprisingly creative. You can ask your Assistant to tell you a story or help you with your homework, and it will do its best to oblige.
Google Assistant can be trained to recognize the voices of up to six members of your family. It can then call you by name, learn the types of games, music, and stories you like, and make recommendations.
And don't worry about your kids getting too much play time: Google's Family Link allows you to set parental controls on your kids' accounts to limit the games they can play and the time they can spend (this feature is only available on Android phones, and does not work on Google Home). Google Assistant blocks all third-party apps when it knows a child is using it. Kids under 13 are also prevented from making purchases.
Many parents are concerned about their kids spending too much time with technology, but at least with Google Assistant games, they'll be interacting with tech without staring at a screen the whole time.
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
