We investigate how families repair communication breakdowns with digital home assistants. recruited 10 diverse to use an Amazon Echo Dot in their homes for four weeks. All had at least one child between and 17 years old. Each family participated pre- post- deployment interviews. Their interactions the (Alexa) were audio recorded throughout study. analyzed 59 breakdown members Alexa, framing our analysis concepts from HCI speech-language pathology. Our findings indicate that collaborate using...

Parents and children both use technology actively increasingly, but prior work shows that concerns about attention, family time, relationships abound. We conducted a survey with 249 parent-child pairs distributed across 40 U.S. states to understand the types of rules (also known as restrictive mediation) they have established in their how effective those are perceived be. Our data robustly show (age 10-17) more likely follow constrain activities (e.g., no Snapchat) than certain contexts...

Prior research indicates that many people wish to limit aspects of their smartphone use. Why is it certain use feels so meaningless? We examined this question by using interviews, the experience sampling method, and mobile logging 86,402 sessions app One motivation for (habitual pass time) two types (entertainment passive social media) were associated with a lower sense meaningfulness. In participants reported feeling loss autonomy when phone in these ways. These reports corroborated data...

Child development research suggests that using phones while caring for children can be problematic, but limited prior work in this space makes defining appropriate use challenging. We conducted the first exploration of whether adults feel pressure to limit phone context and they choose do so. Through mixed methods, we collected data from 466 adult caregivers at playgrounds. found was a small part playground time, yet notable source guilt. Adults engaged systematic specific phone-use...

Though many people report an interest in self-limiting certain aspects of their phone use, challenges adhering to self-defined limits are common. We conducted a design exercise and online survey map the space interventions for smartphone non-use distilled these into small taxonomy intervention categories. Using findings, we implemented "MyTime," support achieving goals related non-use. deployment study with 23 participants over two weeks found that reduced time apps they feel poor use by 21%...

Though prior work shows parents worry about screen media experiences displacing physical activity and time outdoors, this research does not account for location-based mobile games like Pokémon GO, which specifically facilitate outdoor activity. To fill gap in the research, we surveyed interviewed to understand (1) their values perceptions of type gameplay (2) how they co-play GO with children. Our findings provide empirical evidence that, addition appreciating increased exercise valued play...

Smart speakers have become pervasive in family homes, creating the potential for these devices to influence parent-child dynamics and parenting behaviors. We investigate impact of introducing a smart speaker 10 families with children, over four weeks. use pre- post- deployment interviews whole in-home audio capture interactions our analysis. Despite causing occasional conflict home, we observed that parents lever-aged further goals. found three forms has on dynamics: 1) fostering...

Prior work shows that setting limits on young children's screen time is conducive to healthy development but can be a challenge for families. We investigate (age 1 - 5) transitions and from screen-based activities understand the boundaries families have set their experiences living within them. report interviews with 27 parents diary study separate 28 examining these transitions. These turn screens primarily facilitate parents' independent activities. Parents feel this appropriate self-audit...

<h3>Importance</h3> Manipulative design features (known as dark patterns) are common in video games and adult-directed technologies, but their prevalence children's interactive media has not been described. <h3>Objectives</h3> To develop a reliable coding scheme for gathering data on manipulative digital designs, describe within apps used by community-based sample of young children, test hypotheses about associations with socioeconomic status (SES). <h3>Design, Setting, Participants</h3>...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-mediated communication (AIMC), tools powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) are becoming integral to interpersonal communication. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted one-week diary and interview study explore users' perceptions these tools' ability to: 1) support in short-term, 2) lead potential long-term effects. Our findings indicate that participants view AIMC favorably, citing benefits such as increased confidence, finding precise...

Many smartphone users engage in compulsive and habitual phone checking they find frustrating, yet our understanding of how this phenomenon is experienced limited. We conducted a semi-structured interview, think-aloud phone-use demonstration, sketching exercise with 39 (ages 14-64) to probe their experiences checking. Their insights revealed small taxonomy common triggers that lead up instances use second set end sessions. Though participants expressed frustration lack self-control, also...

In HCI, adult concerns about technologies for children have been studied extensively. However, less is known what themselves find concerning in everyday technologies. We examine children's technology-related fears by probing their use of the colloquial term "creepy." To understand perceptions "creepy technologies," we conducted four participatory design sessions with (ages 7 - 11) to and evaluate creepy technologies, followed interviews same children. found that fear reactions emphasized...

Traditionally, many consumer-focused technologies have been designed to maximize user engagement with their products and services. More recently, technology companies begun introduce digital wellbeing features, such as for managing time spent encouraging breaks in use. These are the context of, likely response to, renewed concerns media about dependency even addiction. The promotion of abstinence is also increasingly widespread, e.g., via detoxes. Given that an important valuable feature...

Many people have experienced mindlessly scrolling on social media. We investigated these experiences through the lens of normative dissociation: total cognitive absorption, characterized by diminished self-awareness and reduced sense agency. To explore user dissociation how design affects likelihood dissociation, we deployed Chirp, a custom Twitter client, to 43 U.S. participants. Experience sampling interviews revealed that sometimes, becoming absorbed in media felt like beneficial break....

YouTube has many features, such as homepage recommendations, that encourage users to explore its vast library of videos. However, when visit with a specific intention, e.g., learning how program in Python, these features exploration are often distracting. Prior work innovated 'commitment interfaces' restrict social media but finds they indiscriminately block needed content. In this paper, we describe the design, development, and evaluation an 'adaptable commitment interface,' SwitchTube...

Deceptive design patterns (known as dark patterns) are interface characteristics which modify users' choice architecture to gain attention, data, and money. have yet be documented in safety technologies despite evidence that designers of make decisions can powerfully influence user behavior. To address this gap, we conduct a case study the Citizen app, commercially available technology notifies users about local incidents. We bound our Atlanta triangulate interview data with an analysis...

Though toddlers and preschoolers are regular touchscreen users, relatively little is known about how they learn to perform unfamiliar gestures. In this paper we assess the responses of 34 children, aged 2 5, most common in-app prompting techniques for eliciting specific By reviewing 100 apps preschoolers, determined types prompts that children likely encounter. We then evaluated their relative effectiveness in teaching simple found under 3 were only able interpret instructions when came from...

In this study, we examine the conversational repair strategies that preschoolers use to correct communication breakdowns with a voice-driven interface. We conducted two-week deployment in homes of 14 tablet game included broken mini-game. collected 107 audio samples these children's (unsuccessful) attempts communicate found children tried common set strategies, including repeating themselves and experimenting tone pronunciation their words. Children were persistent, rarely giving up on...

Play is an enjoyable and developmentally useful part of early childhood, parent-child play a highly productive mechanism by which children learn to participate in the world. We conducted observational lab study examine how 15 pairs (children age 4-6) respond with tablet apps as compared analog toys. found that parents were less likely engage each other or other's bids for attention during sessions tab-lets versus also observed specific design features devices children's apps-such one-sided...

Existing designs helping people manage their social media use include: 1) external supports that monitor and limit use; 2) internal change the interface itself. Here, we design deploy Chirp, a mobile Twitter client, to independently examine how users experience supports. To develop identified 16 features influence users' sense of agency on through survey 129 participants workshop. We then conducted four-week within-subjects deployment with 31 participants. Our (including filter tweets inform...

The tracking of developmental milestones in young children is an important public health goal for ensuring early detection and treatment delay. While numerous paper-based web-based solutions are available milestones, many busy parents often forget to enter information on a regular basis. To help address this need, we have developed interactive system called @BabySteps allowing who use Twitter track respond tweets about using special hashtag syntax. Parent responses parsed automatically...

While people often use smartphones to achieve specific goals, at other times they them out of habit or pass the time. Uses and Gratifications Theory explains that users' motivations for engaging with technology can be divided into instrumental ritualistic purposes. Instrumental uses are goal-directed purposeful, while habitual diversionary. In this paper, we provide an empirical account nature vs. based on data collected from 43 Android users over 2 weeks through logging application...

Parental controls allow parents to set limits on children's use of technology, but prior work suggests that controlling children alone is unlikely foster the development healthy media habits. We took elements from evidence-based preschool curricula teach self-regulation and translated them digital space by creating a tool for preschoolers plan their device-based playtime. In an observational lab study with 11 parent-child dyads follow-up interviews 14 parents, we found demonstrated...

In this case study, we describe a design workshop with 7 children age 4-6 using existing co-design techniques known to elicit insights in older individuals. We found that our 5- and 6-year-old participants successfully generated ideas these methods, while 4-year-olds were unable use create solutions traditional format. How-ever, younger enthusiastically offered opportunities where, methodological guidance, the research-er could have followed child's lead shifted question one was potentially...

Through focus groups (n=61) and surveys (n=2,083) of parents teens, we investigated how their teen children experience own each other's phone use in the context parent-teen relationships. Both expressed a lack agency use, feeling overly reliant on displaced by phone. In classic example fundamental attribution error, party placed primary blame other, rationalized behavior with legitimizing excuses. We present conceptual model showing parents' teens' relationships to phones perceptions are...