Tech giant Amazon has announced a new child-friendly option for its home assistant device, Alexa.

'FreeTime' includes a new set of parental controls and family-focused features.

It can filter out explicit lyrics from songs, include bedtime limits, give positive reinforcement for using the word 'please', as well as disabling voice purchasing.

Dave Limp, senior vice president at Amazon Devices and Services, says: "Tens of millions of households already use Alexa, and today we're excited to introduce an entirely new way for kids to have fun and learn with Alexa.

"With Echo Dot Kids Edition and FreeTime on Alexa, parents can have peace of mind knowing their kids are getting age-appropriate content, while they listen to music, ask questions, enjoy Audible books, use Alexa skills, and more".

It allows parents to set limits to protect against children talking with Alexa late into the night - or to simply pause it for homework time.

A dashboard will give parents the option to see their child's Alexa activity, and review their voice recordings.

The assistant will also offer age-appropriate suggestions of, for example, jokes.

When the FreeTime feature is activated, Alexa will answer certain questions differently - avoiding telling children where babies come from or answering questions about Santa.

In the regular version, the system currently answers: "Babies are made through the process of reproduction."

But the child-friendly version replies: "People make people, but how they're made would be a better question for a grown-up."