This Thursday, Fad Juventud and Amazon introduced “Alexa, Break the Silence,” an initiative in which the voice assistant responds to insults and aggressive language with awareness messages about the effects of cyberviolence on youth, prevention tips and assistance resources.
Alexa received 6 million “I love you”s in 2024, but she also received insults like “You’re an idiot,” “You’re stupid,” or “You’re ugly.” That’s why, starting Thursday and next month, Alexa will “break the silence” and respond to hate with messages designed by fad experts to raise awareness and prevent the violence that many young people and teens experience in the digital world.
As part of this awareness campaign, the voice assistant will also be activated when the user says “Alexa, break the silence” or when he receives questions related to harassment, as well as when he hears “Alexa, good morning” and “Alexa, how are you?”, in this case, starting on Saturday, November 15.
The general messages (do not differentiate according to user profile) will be updated during the campaign month and will focus on managing emotions and protecting mental health, and will refer directly to the Information and Guidance Service of Fad Juventud (SIOF), which offers free advice via different channels and by calling 900 16 15 15. In addition, it provides materials to work on as a family or individually.
Insult does not help reduce stress
For example, when you say “Alexa, stupid,” the voice assistant responds: “59% of young people admit to experiencing psychological distress in the past year. Expressing aggression or insults, even in digital environments, does not help reduce stress and usually increases tension and feelings of emotional emptiness.” Then it provides FAD assistance service.
“If you’re insulting for attention, remember that there are other ways to be heard and recognized. Being seen or heard in a positive way makes people take you seriously and avoid unnecessary conflicts,” he responds when asked, “Alexa, stupid.”
The project was presented at Amazon’s headquarters in Madrid by Alexa Spain’s General Manager, Andres Pazos, and Fad Juventud’s General Manager, Beatriz Martín Padura.
In his speech, Andres Pazos pointed out that violence through social networks and digital devices “affects everyone, especially young people,” and pointed out that 21% of young people have been subjected to harassment on social networks, and for this reason they wanted to “add a touch” with this initiative, “surprise and awareness.”
“I think to say that the digital world absorbs everything into the reality of young people is already very self-evident,” said Beatriz Martín Padura, highlighting that according to recent research by FAD, 50% of young people aged between 15 and 29 see hate speech or harassment in their environment.
Insults from the environment
The Director-General of FAD added that 30% of young people claim that they have received hate messages and that 40% have had to block profiles on social networks to “defend themselves” from harassment. Furthermore, 18% said they had been insulted or harassed by people they knew.
In this context, Martin Badura explained that the digital environment has no temporal or spatial boundaries, so harassment can occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; The damage increases as the virus spreads. It results in a feeling of shame and isolation among victims, among other things.
As the FAD Director General explained, “The impact can be very profound and long-lasting, because the damage is actually renewed every time” the insult, mockery or humiliation resurfaces. In addition, she drew attention to the difficulty of erasing digital fingerprints and detecting cases of harassment.
“The social response is still somewhat insufficient,” said Martín Padura, who warned that behind cyber violence and “real stories”, such as that of the young woman Sandra Peña, who would have ended her life after being harassed at her educational center, said.
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