Kid Mode on or not? A Critical Analysis from Perspective of Child-Computer Interaction

Abstract

Children now use leisure software more and more frequently through electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, and tablets. Therefore, it is particularly important to solve the problems that arise when children interact with computers. Most of the leisure software are also commonly used by adults. Although most of these software have child protection mechanisms (such as the kid mode), due to some shortcomings in their functions and interactions, the needs of parents and children cannot be fully met. How to solve these defects is an important issue. In this article, we examined how to further develop these deficiencies dependent on the standards of the principles of participatory design and user-centered design. We first divide these deficiencies into two types, namely, the inability to meet the needs of children and the inability to meet the needs of parents. Next, we put forward our suggestions for these defects from the three perspectives of functionality, interactivity and visual communication. Finally, we found that our research has certain limitations and raised expectations for future researchers.