Kid Mode
A modest proposal to stop kid stuff in our algorithms
It’s that time of year again. Where the brilliant marketing that is #SpotifyWrapped reveals our great (read: usually not great) music taste to the world. That is, unless you’re a parent. And then it reveals something entirely different.
I poke fun at this each and every year because it’s funny. Essentially, Spotify believes my favorite music the past few years has been Raffi, Elmo, and Randy Newman. Don’t get me wrong, each is a great artist. But each is a musical god in the mind of a one, two, and three year old.¹
This is cute. But when it comes to actual recommendations, it’s decidedly less cute. It’s quite annoying depending on the situation. So much so that I have not one, but two streaming music services which I pay for, despite them having basically the exact same content. Apple Music is my “adult” service, whereas Spotify is my “kid” service.
This goes far beyond the music streamers, of course. As my daughter gets older, she’s now watching more content on our Apple TV. And this means my “Up Next” area is a fun combination of Jack Ryan movies mixed with Daniel Tiger. And don’t even get me started about YouTube recommendations.
Even shopping on Amazon is a laughable experience now since about 75% of what I order is for the little one, Amazon has decided that items for a three year old is basically all I want to see. While it’s true that may be much of what I want to buy, it’s the opposite of what I want to see when browsing!
Obviously, most services, at least on the content side, try to get around this issue with individual user profiles. But this is annoying. The interstitial I have to click on when I load Netflix and Amazon Prime Video sucks. I want to watch content, I don’t want to have to verify adulthood each time. Obviously, you want some restrictions for services that have adult-oriented content. But there has to be a better way.
I think what all these services need is less about profiles, and more a “Kid Mode” similar to what web browsers offer with “Private Mode” or “Incognito Mode”. That is, a simple one-click way to say DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I’M DOING RIGHT NOW FOR YOUR ALGORITHMS.
Again, I think kid profiles are a fine solution for more permanent states of consumption. But everyone with a child here will know my frustration when I just need to get that damn Mickey Mouse song on and I’m driving and don’t have time to switch profiles on Spotify.
Actually, with that specific type of example, even a “Kid Mode” button may be too much work. Ideally, these services would just know that I’m likely playing this kid song for a kid and so not to serve it up to me in my “regular” listening. And they all say they sort of do this. But in practice, it’s a tricky problem. And it’s why we get Raffi, Elmo, and Randy Newman as our top artists each year.
Eventually, the algorithms will probably be smart enough to sort this via time and day and the like. But again, a lot of them already say they are, but in practice are not. So I’m trying to come up with some other dead-simple, fool-proof solution. Maybe it’s a “Kid Mode” at the OS-level of any device. Again, a way to say whatever I’m doing right now — music, movies, shopping, web browsing, DO NOT TAKE THIS TO MEAN I ENJOY ANY OF THESE THINGS AND WANT MORE OF THEM. Or do, but assume I only do when in “Kid Mode” again. Not in “Dad Mode”. Dad Mode is my time. Not Peppa Pig’s time.
Anyway, all of this is obvious. But it’s also obviously a problem for many parents. Twitter tells me as much each year, usually at this time of year. And rather than wait for the algorithms to be smart enough to sort it out, I’d like a super simple way to take matters into my own hands. More simple than profiles. A button. Probably even voice-enabled.² A “Kid Mode”.
Alas, I fully expect my #SpotifyWrapped next year to be dominated by Elsa and Anna. Let it go, MG. Let it go.
¹ The latter due to the Toy Story soundtrack, of course.
² “Alexa, enter KID MODE.”
