“Children,
Please scan the QR code with your parents’ phone to activate the smartwatch ringtone VIP.”
This is a voice prompt from a children’s smartwatch,
which has raised concerns among many parents,
who believe it may induce minors to spend money.
On December 1,
a staff member from the smartwatch manufacturer
responded to reporters,
stating that this prompt is a built-in voice from a third-party music software,
and they have communicated with the software provider,
requesting the cessation of this voice prompt.
Video Screenshot
According to reports, on November 28, a parent from Handan, Hebei, Mr. Li, stated that he bought a smartwatch for his 8-year-old child primarily for locating the child and facilitating contact with family. Unexpectedly, just a few days ago, the child suddenly insisted on using Mr. Li’s phone to scan a QR code to listen to music, leading to the scene depicted in the image. In the image, Mr. Li is holding the child’s phone smartwatch, opening a music app, and the smartwatch emits the voice: “Children, please scan the QR code with your parents’ phone to activate the smartwatch ringtone VIP.” This voice prompt made Mr. Li very angry, and he repeatedly instructed his child not to scan the QR code for purchases.
Video Screenshot
Reporters learned that the manufacturer of the children’s smartwatch described by Mr. Li is Shenzhen Chuangyichuang Technology Co., Ltd. On December 1, a staff member from the company responded to Jimu News reporters, stating that the smartwatch comes with music software pre-installed, “We only produce hardware, and we must install some software for the smartwatch to function properly.” The software on the smartwatch is third-party music software, which includes both free and paid music ringtones. Reporters noted that many parents online have expressed that many children’s smartwatches on the market have voice prompts that induce children to spend money. Other parents indicated that regardless of the brand of the smartwatch, as long as the relevant software is installed, the same spending prompts will appear. Regarding whether the smartwatch is suspected of inducing minors to spend money, the aforementioned staff member stated that the voice prompt is indeed inappropriate, and they have communicated this matter to the software provider, who has indicated that they will stop the voice prompt. “If the music software does not cease this voice prompt in the future, we will also choose to remove the software from our products,” the staff member said. Reporters noted that the issue of children’s smartwatches inducing minors to spend money has been widely discussed. Earlier this year, some parents reported that the Xiaotiancai phone watch contained game apps that induced minors to spend money. On July 18, Guangdong Xiaotiancai Technology Co., Ltd. was jointly interviewed by consumer associations from multiple regions. Xiaotiancai Company issued a rectification announcement on July 9, stating that in response to user feedback regarding third-party software issues, the company has implemented five rectification measures, including “immediate removal of applications that contain problematic content, and applications with harmful content will never be listed again.”
Source: Jimu News (ID: ctdsbgfwx)
Reporters: Xiao Mingyuan, Zhao Delong
Copyright belongs to the original author, respect for originality
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