AR News app. Credit BBC News
New phone app for children developed to enable easier understanding of articles written for adults.
BBC News reports that a new augmented reality app has been developed in Japan that children can use on smartphones to translate newspaper articles that would otherwise be difficult for them to understand into child-friendly versions, with a promotional video from advertising firm Dentsu pointing out that the app had the potential to “create a future for the old media newspaper”.
The AR News software was created by Japanese newspaper The Tokyo Shimbun with the help of Dentsu, with a demo video demonstrating its use by a child holding a smartphone over a page in a newspaper, causing cartoon characters to appear on the screen that explain the scanned stories and highlight important words in the text.
It is hoped by the developers that “if newspapers become readable to children, they will contribute to family communication and child’s education”, with Dentsu adding that through the app, “difficult article and social problems, economy and politics became interesting subjects for children. The newspapers became a media read by both parent and child. And also an educational tool for children”.
The app has been met with enthusiasm by Peter Bradshaw, a university lecturer and blogger on new technology in journalism, who said: “What it’s really about is something that’s been talked about for a long time, about content being presented in different ways depending on who the user is […] It means two versions of the content – a grown-up one and the kids one. That has enormous potential. It also tackles a big gap in young readership.”
However, he added that while it may make articles more accessible to children, the content still may not appeal to a younger audience, commenting: “Are kids going to be interested in the same subjects as adults, even when treated differently? That’s a nut to crack.”