Children and social robots Towards a better understanding of their acceptance of a new technology

With children increasingly encountering social robots in natural environments, such as schools, hospitals, and their homes, an important question has rarely been asked in the field of child-robot interaction (CRI): To what extent do children accept such a social robot? Without children’s acceptance of social robots, other potential applications of social robots, such as education and therapy, are doomed to fail. This dissertation aims to advance knowledge on children’s acceptance of social robots through a literature review, the development and validation of a measure of children’s adoption intention of social robots, and two empirical studies based on a six-wave longitudinal panel study among children who received a social robot at home. The findings of this dissertation show that despite initial enthusiasm and the intention to adopt robots, the majority of children do not seem to accept a social robot over time. Only slightly less than 30% of the children consistently used the robot across eight weeks, whereas the majority of children discontinued use after initial adoption or alternated between using and not using the robot. Children thus accept social robots – in their current form – less than one would expect based on previous – mainly cross-sectional – research. This dissertation also sheds light on the predictors of children’s intention to adopt social robots as well as on the reasons for non-acceptance of social robots. Finally, it provides theoretical and methodological insights and recommendations to advance future research on children’s acceptance of social robots.