"The lamps come equipped with two built-in cameras—one facing the child and another offering a bird’s-eye view from above—letting parents remotely monitor their children when they study. There is a smartphone-sized screen attached to each lamp, which applies artificial intelligence to offer guidance on math problems and difficult words. And parents can hire a human proctor to digitally monitor their children as they study.

In addition to the basic version of the lamp, a $170 upgraded model sends alerts and photos to parents when their children slouch. That version of the lamp sold out on China’s largest e-commerce platforms earlier this month.

Ni Ying, a 36-year-old in Shanghai who bought the basic version of the lamp in March, paid an extra $350 for three teachers to remotely watch her daughter do homework each afternoon for two hours over the course of three months.

“It’s much more efficient: My daughter gets her work done and if she needs help, the teachers are there to assist,” said Ms. Ni, who said it was liberating not to have to constantly keep an eye on her 10-year-old daughter. “I’ve felt less agitated about her homework and the lamp has improved our relationship.”

ByteDance’s success with its smart lamps offers insight into the Chinese public’s openness to technologies that promise a leg up in an increasingly competitive society. Surveillance, in particular, is reaching deeper into the daily lives of Chinese people than many in the West are comfortable with.

In recent years, Chinese schools have experimented with headbands that monitor children’s brain-wave activity and concentration levels, student uniforms with location-tracking capabilities and kindergarten robots that take attendance, teach and analyze student behavior."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-smart-lamp-that-watches-kids-when-they-study-is-a-hit-in-china-11622466002?