Virtual kids: Tamagotchi kids: could the future of parenthood be having virtual children in the metaverse? | Artificial intelligence (AI)

Tamagotchi kids: could the future of parenthood be having virtual children in the metaverse? | Artificial intelligence (AI)

Name: Tamagotchi kids.

Age: Yet to be born, though it won’t be long, says Catriona Campbell.

Is she pregnant? No. Well, I don’t know, that’s not the point.

What is the point? That some people might decide never to be pregnant, ever again.

That already happens, doesn’t it? True, for loads of reasons, including concerns about the environment, overpopulation, the rising cost of bringing up a child, etc.

So who is this Catriona Campbell, then? One of the UK’s leading authorities on artificial intelligence. She has a new book out, called AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence.

What does she say in it? That “within 50 years, technology will have advanced to such an extent that babies which exist in the metaverse are indistinct from those in the real world. ”

From concept to virtual conception … a digital foetus. Photograph: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

Does that mean that Mark Zuckerberg is going to be everyone’s dad? Or … (shivers) Nick Clegg? No. It means virtual digital children will exist in the metaverse which, as you’ll know, is the immersive digital future of the internet. Campbell predicts they will be commonplace and embraced by society within half a century. She has called this digital demographic the “Tamagotchi generation”, after those digital pet toys from Japan, remember?

So, will our new kids be egg-shaped and have three buttons? And will we soon get bored and forget about them? Technology has come on since the 90s. Campbell says virtual children will look like you, and you will be able to play with and cuddle them. They will be capable of simulated emotional responses as well as speech, which will range from “googoo gaga” to backchat, as they grow older.

I hate it when they become teenagers. Then put it off.

So we would get to decide how quickly they grow up? Or if they grow up.

And if we do get bored with them? Well, if you have them on a monthly subscription basis, which is what Campbell thinks might happen, then I suppose you can just cancel.

If you can get through! Customer services might be better in the future.

It sounds a teeny bit creepy, no? Think of the advantages: minimal cost and environmental impact. And less worry – though you might want a bit of that programmed in for a more authentic parental experience.

Any downsides? Well, you might think if you can turn it on and off it is more like a dystopian doll than a human who is your own flesh and blood. But that’s just old fashioned.

Do say: “Sold. I’ll take 2.4 of them please.”

Don’t say: “Any more of your cheek and you’re deleted!”

Fun Virtual Birthday Party Ideas for Kids on Zoom

Is your child unable to be with their friends on their birthday? Don’t worry, it can still be amazing with these fun virtual birthday party ideas for kids.

Kids, Tweens & Teens can use technology on Facetime, Zoom, TikTok, and even Netflix to engage in an unforgettable virtual party.

I’ll show you entertaining Zoom games, themes, activities, party favors, and all the steps to plan a virtual birthday party for kids. You won’t believe how easy it is to throw a virtual party for your kids.

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Fun Virtual Birthday Party Ideas for Kids on Zoom

How to Plan a Virtual Birthday Party

Pick a theme for your party – What is your child currently excited about? Use that idea to form your party. Below I will give you a bunch of theme ideas you can use to plan the party.

Create your guest list – How many kids do you want to invite? This will be easier to decide once you have planned your theme and type of party.

Plan Game Ideas – Decide what type of virtual Zoom Games you can play with the number of kids you have attending.

Pick Invitations – Send out invitations by Evite or, if it’s a small group, you can text or email the parents.

Order anything you need for the party and create any gift bags or items kids need for games to drop off at children’s houses.

The best part of virtual parties is there really is no setup or cleaning you need to do the day of the party. Just get online and throw the birthday party.

Virtual Birthday Party Zoom Games & Themes

To help make the birthday party easier to throw, I came up with several theme parties you could host depending on your child’s interest. You could also try and adjust some in-person Birthday Party Games.

Look through these birthday themes and see which is the best fit for your child. Your sure to find one they’ll love.

In addition to the party start some new meaningful birthday traditions with your kids. Fun family traditions your kids will cherish as they grow up and look forward to every year.

Related Article – Fun Socially Distance Christmas Activites for Families

Zoom Games

Playing Games on Zoom with Kids is a great way to throw a fun virtual party. The games can be added to any of the other theme parties as an extra activity.

Here are a few Zoom Game ideas, but you can find more in my Zoom Games for Kids and instructions for the games.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader – Parents can get the questions ahead of time and see who can answer the questions the fastest in the Zoom Whiteboard.

Or if it’s easier, write the answers on a piece of paper and have everyone hold up their answers at the same time.

BINGO – You can drop bingo cards off ahead of time at each kid’s house with a small goody bag. Then at the party, all you have to do is call out the numbers. Free Printable Bingo Cards for Christmas, Halloween, or Valentine’s Day Themed.

Charades – Split the kids up into two teams and let them act out the item you give them for their team to guess. This ends up being a really hilarious game. Grab your Free Printable 192 Easy Charades Ideas for Kids Word Lists.

Heads Up – This is a cool game for older kids using their iPhone on Zoom together. All you need is the Heads Up App. Kids hold it above their head and it shows a word. The other players give them hints so they can guess what the word on their phone is.

Check out Games to Play on Zoom with kids to get more game ideas for big and smaller groups.

Would You Rather Game

Kids love playing the Funny Would You Rather Game. Ask the kids silly questions like Would You Rather have bad breath or stinky feet or Would You Rather eat worms or beetles?

Kids can answer in the chat feature or raise their hands for their answers. Then find out why they’d eat a worm instead of a beetle. The answers are the funniest part!

Get a free printable list of Would You Rather Questions for Kids

Try these themed Would You Rather Questions too – Would You Rather Christmas, Would You Rather Teens, and Would You Rather Valentine’s Day 

Minute to Win It Party

Kids love the excitement of Minute to Win It Games. They are hilarious one-minute games where the kids race each other or the clock to win.

To do this on Zoom, give each child a list of items they will need to compete. Or drop off a bag of the items they will need at their house before the party. Have the kids set up all the items in front of the Zoom camera.

A few easy ones would be stacking and unstacking solo cups, stacking pennies, seeing who can keep a balloon up in the air the longest, or using a straw to move Skittles from one plate to another.

Let the birthday child compete or be the clock keeper for the games. They can watch to declare which child is the winner of each round.

Get More Minute to Win It Game Ideas:

20 Easy Minute to Win it Games for Kids

Minute to Win It Games for Teens & Tweens

Craft Party

Throw a craft or art party for kids to do together while on Zoom.

Pick out a craft your child would like to make. Before the party, drop off all the items for the craft in a goody bag to the kids coming to the party.

If the kids don’t live close send a craft kit on Amazon.

Coffee Filter Butterflies are easy to make together and show off while you on Zoom. Have kids color a coffee filter with markers and then spray with water.

While it dries, play a game. After the game, fold the butterfly and show it off to the group.

Rock Painting is an easy craft, too. Have the kids pick a rock out in their yard before the party. Then drop off paint and paintbrushes in a goody bag for the kids to paint the rocks.

If you want it as a group project, give instructions on which colors and patterns to make and let the kids follow along.

Emoji Bracelets – Create simple jewelry pieces together on zoom while kids chat. You can pick up small kits to give to each child.

Pinterest is filled with easy crafts to do with kids. Have your child help pick out one that they are excited about and plan the party.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Use a Scavenger Hunt list of items you would like the kids to find around their house. For example, something red, a book, a hairbrush, a watch, or a blue pillow.

While on Zoom, read off one item at a time from your list for the kids to go off and find. The kids then race to find the item and to be the first one back to the Zoom frame with the item.

You could track the child who has the most wins or just let them do it for fun, depending on the age.

Get a Free Printable – Zoom Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids

Escape Room Party

Plan a super fun Escape Room Birthday party for the kids. To do this virtually have everyone use the same Escape Room Kit so everyone is solving the same game and puzzles.

The first option is to have teams made up of individuals that are physically together in person. Each team is usually 2-5 players so this works to have one family play against another family.

Another option is to email eveyone the game and have the kids work in breakout sessions in zoom to form teams.

To find the best escape room kit for your kid’s age and difficulty level visit our Favorite Printable Escape Room Games for Kids. You’ll find games for kids as young as 5 years old to Teenagers.

Each of the escape kits has extra pictures included which you can tape to the wall behind you as a background for your zoom frame too.

Costume Party

Have all the kids get dressed up for the Zoom party. It could be their old Halloween costumes or something to go with your child’s party theme.

I would keep the theme broad to make it easy for the parents to make the costume such as Super Heroes or Princesses.

It’s really fun to see what everyone dresses up as and for them to show off their costume on Zoom. Then let the kids play a few Zoom games in their costumes.

Lego Party

Have the kids create a Lego set together. You can drop off or send through Amazon a small Lego set. Then, while on Zoom together, you read the directions and the kids go step by step putting the set together.

At the end, they can show off their Lego builds.

Another option is to do a 10 minute Lego challenge. Kids use the Legos they already have at home and have 10 minutes while on Zoom together to create something with random pieces of Legos, not a set.

At the end of the 10 minutes, hold it up on Zoom to show off their creations.

If you do the Lego challenge, tell parents in the invite for kids to pick out 25 random pieces of Legos to bring to the Zoom Birthday Party.

Dance Party

Hold a Zoom Dance party. You can either just play music and let them show off their dance moves or learn a new dance together.

Use the split-screen on Zoom to show a YouTube video teaching a dance your child likes. Keep the kids on the other side of the screen while they practice the dance.

After you practice a few times, take off the video and play the music for them all to dance together.

Make Up Party

Older kids love to watch YouTube videos on hair and makeup. Take this interest and make it into a fun party. Have each kid do their Zoom by a mirror and have makeup ready.

A fun goody bag would be to drop off eye shadow or the type of makeup they will use in the video.

Do the Zoom split screen again with a YouTube video tutorial on one side and the kids practicing on the other. Once done, let the kids show each other how they look.

Fortnite Birthday & Video Game

Are your kids huge Fortnite or Video Game fans? Have a set time for all the kids to go on and play video games together.

We like Fortnite birthdays because up to 16 kids can play on Creative mode together. The great thing about this game is kids do not have to have the same type of device to play. They can play on mobile, Xbox, PlayStation, or PC. This will allow more kids to play.

Then they can hop on Zoom when done to celebrate the birthday child with a cake or a Zoom game. I’ll talk more about the cake below.

TikTok Challenge

Older kids are loving TikTok right now. To play, let the birthday child come up with a TikTok challenge idea. Then send out an invite with the challenge. Have each kid make their own TikTok and then show it off on Zoom to each other at the party.

Or pick a popular TikTok dance and let the kids try to do it together on Zoom. This does not need to be filmed, just do the dances for fun all together. You can show the video on your Zoom split-screen for the kids to learn the dance.

Netflix Watch Party

Movie-loving kids will love Netflix’s new Watch Parties. Kids can watch a movie together at the same time and talk in the side chat feature as they watch. All you need is a Netflix account and Chrome Browser Extension.

If you don’t have Netflix, use any cable channel or the new Disney+ and let the kids watch together on Zoom.

Add to the party atmosphere by dropping off microwave popcorn and candy as a goody bag to all the kids before the party.

Science Birthday

Have a fun science birthday by doing a few cool science experiments for the kids to watch. Pick ones that are quick and have a big bang. Then set the experiment right in front of your computer so all the kids can see it on Zoom.

An example would be to make an exploding Volcano. They’re really easy to make and super cool to watch. Find out how to make a Volcano in 3 easy steps at home.

Rain Clouds in a Jar is another quick and fun experiment. All you need is water, shaving cream, and food dye. Use all different color food dyes to make a bigger impact on the video.

Get more easy at-home science experiment ideas from Happy Mom Hacks Pinterest page.

Birthday Marathon

Set up 10-15 minute Zoom Calls with a small group of friends or family several times throughout the day to celebrate your child’s birthday.

A big Zoom group can be overwhelming and hard for the kids to talk so smaller groups, especially with younger children, will be easier.

Birthday Party Favors & Signs

Birthday Party Favors

If your guests live close by, consider dropping off the day before the party birthday party favors filled with items they need for the Zoom call. Plus maybe some candy or something with your theme.

With guests that live further away, use online ordering like Amazon to get small Lego sets or crafts sent to the kids attending.

Birthday Signs

Much like the popular birthday parades kids are going to now, have friends attending the Zoom party create birthday signs for your child. They can all hold them up when they get online to greet your child.

Cake or Dessert

What is a birthday without a cake or dessert? If the people invited live close by, drop off a small dessert or cupcakes to eat with the birthday child on the Zoom call.

At the Virtual Party, have the guests sing Happy Birthday and let your child blow out the candles on their cake. It will make it feel more like a birthday party.

Decorations

Decorate the background of your virtual party with streamers and balloons to help give a festive feel to the birthday celebrations. We love to find Cheap birthday party decorations at Dollar Tree.

Birthday Interviews

Make sure you’ll remember all your kid’s favorite things each year with a Birthday Interview. Good questions to ask your kids on their birthday to capture that year of their life. It’s so much fun to hear your kid’s answers and to look back on them when they’re older.

Free Printable Birthday Interview Questions for Kids

Have you found some virtual birthday party ideas for kids and tweens you can use for your child’s birthday? I hope these Zoom birthday games and virtual party ideas will help make your child’s birthday memorable when they can’t be with friends.

Virtual Holiday Party

Enjoy celebrating more than birthdays with your family over Zoom. Host virtual parties for the holidays with your family too. Even after the pandemic, it’s a great way to see a family that doesn’t live close to you.

Find ideas in our Holiday Page or below.

How to Celebrate Halloween while Socially Distanced

Fun Socially Distanced Christmas Activities

Family Minute to Win It Christmas Games

Free Printable Christmas Games for Kids

Best Valentine’s Day Games for Kids

Virtual Easter Egg Hunt & Party on Zoom

More Birthday Party Ideas

Visit our Party Ideas & Games for Kids or check out these fun kids’ parties below. This upcoming Easter make sure to visit our Virtual Easter Egg Hunt for Kids too. The perfect way to throw a Virtual Easter Party.

How to Throw the Best Nerf Wars Birthday Party. Get a blueprint for organizing and throwing a Nerf party.

30 Fun Birthday Party Games for Kids – Fun group games to play at parties

Super Fun Outdoor Party Games for Kids – Great games for backyard birthdays or family BBQs.

Games to Play on Zoom With Kids – All the best Zoom Games for One on One play and Parties.

20 Meaningful Birthday Traditions Kids Will LOVE

10 Most Popular Birthday Party Themes for Boys – Find out what birthday parties the kids really want

Cheap Birthday Party Decorations & Themes at Dollar Tree – Save money on birthday supplies

Top Gift Ideas for Kids

Tweens are so hard to shop for! Find some cool gift ideas they’ll be thrilled to receive this year.

45 Hottest Gift Ideas for Tween Girls

What Boys Really Want this Year

Fun Subscription Box Ideas for Kids – Send kids a fun new gift every month from STEM to Cool kids activities.

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virtual children will become full members of the family in half a century

The nightmare is near: virtual children will become full members of the family in half a century

May 31, 20:09 , save the Earth from overpopulation and become full members of society.

Digital babies who can hum, play and look like their “parents” will become commonplace in 50 years, says Catriona Campbell, one of the UK’s leading experts in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies . True, they can exist only in the immersive digital space. But that won’t be a problem: getting in there and interacting with the digital baby is as simple as using a headset that provides access to virtual reality. Campbell writes about this in his new book AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence, reports the Daily Mail.

Campbell calls the digital kids “the Tamagotchi generation” – referring to the digital creatures that were popular in the late 1990s. “Virtual children may seem incredible now, but in 50 years technology will have advanced so much that children existing in the digital universe will be indistinguishable from children in the real world,” she writes. “Over time, virtual children will become full members of society in developed countries.”

Tamagotchi children will be able to have a realistic appearance, this will be achieved using CGI technology, which creates images using three-dimensional computer graphics. They will be taught to recognize their parents and respond to their presence – technologies that allow voice analysis and face tracking will be responsible for this. High-tech gloves will help to simulate physical sensations and provide a completely realistic tactile connection. Thanks to them, digital babies can be hugged and played with no worse than flesh-and-blood children, and for their parents, Tamagotchi children will be just as real. nine0003

“Customer demand is likely to occur, so this scenario is likely. Children with artificial intelligence will become widely available and will be provided for a relatively small monthly fee, Campbell continues. “This will help us address some of today’s most pressing problems, including overpopulation.”

The digital environment will allow “parents” to communicate with their children in any environment: at home, on the street, etc. How fast children will grow – if they grow at all – is also up to the “parents” to decide. nine0003

Related materials:

Scientists: virtual reality helmets are useful for children

Virtual real estate at a real price: land prices in the “metaverse” are rising

There will be no windows in Apple Car. The company patents a body with a virtual view

TechnologiesDigitalizationChildren

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Virtual children – how to prevent them from being lost in the “matrix”?

The virtual world does not protect against the real world. On the contrary, children become vulnerable and aggressive. Sociologists say that the tendency to “plunge” into the virtual world is unlikely to roll back. nine0003

Virtual kids in Germany: The pandemic is setting the stage for a generation of internet-dependent kids to grow up. They spend their free time only in the virtual world. And even reduce the time for sleep and food. All this to play more or chat with a virtual friend. Sociologists and psychologists say this could have long-term negative consequences. And explain how to avoid it.

Read also: Social networks in Germany: the court decided that the contract with Facebook is forever

Sociologists from Forsa asked questions about the balance of the virtual and real world to parents and children. Experts conducted a survey in the fall of 2019 before the pandemic. And the second, third and fourth measurements were taken during the pandemic and immediately after its decline. Children and adolescents are asked about the duration and motivation of being stuck in games and social networks. And also about the possible negative consequences that they notice, for example, when performing tasks.

Three hours a day on social media and more than 2 hours on games

Early surveys have shown that children and teens are spending much more time on their mobile phones, computers or game consoles during the coronavirus pandemic. Before the start of the pandemic on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, social networks took almost two hours of time. After the first quarantine, these figures increased to more than three hours a day.

Similar indicators were observed in the use of computer games and game consoles. Children and teenagers spend an average of 1 hour 23 minutes playing computer or online games on typical days. In April 2020, this figure increased dramatically to 2 hours and 12 minutes a day. Then there was a slight decline and recovery at the same high level. nine0003

According to experts, the time of using games and social networks per week exceeds the “pre-quarantine” level.

The generation of “virtual children”: why is addiction dangerous and how to fight it?

Thomas Fischbach, president of the professional association of paediatricians, is pessimistic about these figures. “For children and adolescents who are involved in media that contains content that is dangerous for the child, restrictions can now move to the phase of pathological addiction. Quarantine has become a catalyst for such behavior and transition, the emergence of a new, virtual world of communication. Naturally, with negative consequences for the child,” the expert says. According to the expert, even after the full restoration of the normal mode of life, the trend will not change. And some children will already acquire a negative habit or even a pernicious predilection for virtual substitutes for the real world and real communication.