Kids are often screen-obsessed, turning toward technology to stay entertained when they’re bored. Yoto, a screen-free audio platform for kids, is giving families an alternative with the Yoto Player, which launches in the U.S. today.

The Yoto Player can help reduce excessive screen time by giving kids stories, podcasts, music, and other types of audio content to listen to instead of mindlessly watching video after video. The device uses physical cards that kids can insert into the player, which act as a smart speaker to play the content.

Kids can listen to their favorite authors, such as Roald Dahl and Judith Kerr, or choose something from Yoto’s expanding content library, which features licensed stories from Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan, and more. Kids can even create their own bedtime stories through the Yoto Player’s “Create Your Own” function.

Related: Make Bedtime a Little More Magical with shopDisney

Parents can control settings and manage content through the Yoto smartphone app, which also features a selection of free content that families can play through the Yoto Player or other Bluetooth speakers, including in the car. Kids or parents can also tap the physical Yoto audio cards to the back of a compatible smartphone to play the content through the app.

The Yoto Player is available for purchase at us.yotoplay.com starting at $99.99. The Yoto smartphone app is available to download for free on iOS or Android.

About the author

Jackie Cucco

Jackie Cucco

Jackie Cucco was a Senior Editor of The Toy Book, The Toy Insider, and The Pop Insider. She covered toy trends, pop culture, and entertainment news, and made appearances on national and regional outlets, including CBS, WPIX, News 12, and more. Jackie spends her time watching horror movies and working her way through every Stephen King novel out there.

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