Parents of children called Alexa challenge Amazon

Parents of children called Alexa say their daughters are being bullied because it is the same name that Amazon uses for its virtual assistant. Some have even changed their child's name because they say the barrage of Alexa jokes is "relentless". They are calling on Amazon to change the default wake word for its devices to a non-human name. Amazon says it is "saddened" by these accounts, and that alternative wake words are available. The word Alexa has become increasingly ubiquitous in recent years as more households use voice-activated smart speakers. Amazon's Echo and Echo Dot use Alexa as the command you say before giving it instructions or asking a question.

However, this is causing problems for people named Alexa, who are frequently on the receiving end of repeated jokes, where people shout their name and issue a command. Heather's (not her real name) teenage daughter Alexa received abuse from other children, and even teachers, because of her name, as soon as she started secondary school. "She started to not want to introduce herself because of the jokes and the backlash. She was and still is a child, yet adults thought it was OK to make a joke of her. It's devastating. The school was unhelpful and told her she needed to build resilience."

Alexa is human
Heather says it took a huge toll on her daughter's mental health. Ultimately they decided to legally change Alexa's name. "She's in a much better place now. We have cut off friends and moved her to a new school to allow a fresh start. The injustice will never leave her, or us. Amazon must change the default wake word on its devices.

There was clearly not enough ethical research into using Alexa." There are more than 4,000 people called Alexa aged under 25 in the UK, and some of their parents have told the BBC similar stories to Heather's. Charlotte (again, not her real name) says her daughter Alexa is only six, but is already being picked on. "It started in Reception. Older children would say things like 'Alexa, play disco'. Other boys picked up on it and shouted commands at her. "

We were at the park the other day and every single boy there was saying it to her constantly. She's started clamming up. I think it's affecting her confidence. Adults make fun of her too. "She said to me 'I wish people didn't know my name'. People buying these devices are unwittingly adding to the problem." Charlotte added that Amazon "does not advertise the fact" that the wake word can be changed.

---BBC