Yoto is doing children's technology the right way
How I became enamored with a device in my toddler's bedroom
I know plenty of parents who get nervous when we talk about “children’s technology”. There is that dreaded image in our heads of a tiny tike glued to an iPad as their brains turn to mush.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! Well-designed children’s technology does exist, and today I’d like to take a look at a company that I feel is doing it the right way.
What or who is Yoto?
The company is called Yoto and they make two audio players aimed to entertain and educate children while eschewing some of the modern tactics used by tech companies to capture attention.
Just take a look at these cute little things! Specifically, I’m going to be focussing this discussion on the smaller Yoto Mini as that is the one that is currently in my four-year old daughter’s room. But many of these things will also apply to their larger Yoto Player as well.
You’ll notice right away that these products just give off good vibes. They’re made with more plastic than glass to give some confidence in durability. And the fun orange accent colors help to attract a child’s (and their parents attention). To be honest, I’m not even sure exactly who purchased this device for my daughter, I think it may have been a holiday gift from a co-worker of my wife. I’m just glad that we have it because I find it endlessly fascinating.
What makes it so cool?
The toy gives off all sorts of retro tech vibes for me. I feel like it was clearly designed by someone who grew up with Gameboys, Tamagatchi pets and crude pre-iPod mp3 players. This thing just screams Rio Karma to me. It was a plasticky piece of tech that was well ahead of its time, and I feel that way about the Yoto.
Ok, so what does it do? It sorta acts like a personal audio player for kids aged 3-12. You can purchase different cards that slide into the top opening (another nod to the Gameboy) that give a variety of music and audiobook options. All of the classic teen IP is covered here. We have a Disney card that offers classic songs from Toy Story, Moana, and the like. On a quick side note, the actually versions of these songs aren’t the exact ones from the Disney soundtrack. I stopped in my tracks when I caught a slightly altered version of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” that wasn’t quite sung by Randy Newman but equally as entertaining. So yeah, they may not have the rights to all of the songs your kids love.
The Yoto Mini also acts as a standard bluetooth speaker. So parents are able to stream any audio they’d like from their own media collection. The device does have a bluetooth and wifi connection for updates and downloads but it’s not meant to be something that can play all media. The simplicity is what catches my attention.
Take for example that screen. They call it a “pixel screen” and it feels very 8-bit. It’s able to relay important information with a small footprint while not being distracting. The screen shows us the time and rough weather (it's pretty much always a pixelated sun with partial cloud cover on our Northern California mornings). Other times, the screen just shows a little smiley face. It gives it enough personality without being creepy. It's the perfect sized screen on a perfectly-sized device for little hands.
I think the feature that really sealed the deal for me was the Yoto Daily radio show. There is a disembodied voice who tells my daughter the date, month, and day of the week that it is everyday. It's essentially her own little morning talkshow! He tells jokes and has recurring bits that capture a child's imagination. When I first stumbled upon it, I was pretty blown away. How does this little box know what day it is? I didn't even realize that it was connecting to the Internet to fetch this data.
The buttons and input methods are great here as well. Just one simple button to turn it on and off, then two pressable knobs to scroll and select through simple menus. You won't find any touchscreens or anything complicated, and I love that. Even if you never purchase a single expansion card with content on it, you can be entertained for free by the daily content that plays on the Yoto.
Maybe it's just me?
To be clear, I seem to love this device way more than my daughter. She is in the lower range of the suggest age group though. She may warm up to it as she gets older and appreciates what it can do. Also, I'm usually playing with it while I'm trying to wake her up for school which is never easy. I always thought that having a dog and a toddler would mean lots of early mornings, but my pooch and child love to sleep-in. It's certainly not a bad thing!
Now I'm curious though. Is this device more interesting to me because I lived through decades of other tech and can appreciate the retro vibes? Is this a product that is designed more for parents than for children? Plenty of kids must be loving these Yoto players as they seem to be expanding their content offerings. I also think it may not have caught on in America yet as the Daily Yoto content seems to have a British slant to it. Yes, the founders do seem to be English and I find their origin story to be very much in-line with my feelings and the sentiment of this publication:
"…we’re actually both technophiles and big believers in the power of the internet and tech as a force for good. Screens aren’t always bad! Also, having met whilst working together in the digital music world, we really wanted to give our kids easy access to music and other audio content.
So we came up with the idea of a connected, screen-free audio device that kids could be fully in control of using physical smartcards."
I love that they were able to jump into the world of children's tech with no real background in it. Their initial Kickstarter project was a hit back in 2018 and they've created several new Yoto iterations since then.
Conclusion
All of this is to say that we need more products like the Yoto Mini. We need to let our kids play around with technology in a way that helps develop their curiosity and imagination instead of just turning them into zombies. And no, the Yoto isn't my daughter's favorite toy. It's more of a decorative piece in her room, but her Mom and Dad really love it. And we're the ones with money, dammit!
I encourage all of you parents out there to be on the lookout for more companies like Yoto. Let's not be afraid to give our children technology. There needs to be a fine balance. Managing screen time is arguably becoming one of the hardest parts of being a parent. Crazy right? But ask any parent and you'll realize that it's true.
While it may not be the toy that my daughter reaches for first, I'm still going to be following and supporting Yoto however I can. Yes, there will probably be some new audio cards purchased this holiday season to see if it makes her more inclined to use it. And I'll be scouring the pages of Kickstarter for other fun, retro, children's tech products that inspire children the way Game Boy, Game Gear, and Tamagotchi did for our generation.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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