Alexa, make my kid polite

Photo: The Canadian Press

Alexa's new missions: encourage kids to ask questions more politely, and get them to bed on time.

The voice assistant that lives inside Amazon's Echo speakers will soon thank kids for shouting out questions "nicely" if they say "please." The new response is part of a kid-friendly update that's coming next month, giving parents more control over the voice assistant. Adults can set Alexa to go silent at bedtime, block music with explicit lyrics and call kids down to dinner.

In addition, Amazon will sell an $80 Echo Dot aimed at kids that comes with colorful cases and a 2-year warranty, promising to replace the device if it breaks.

Amazon's hope is that the changes will get more parents to put Echo speakers in their children's bedrooms.