Now will the powers that be listen to us?

WHATEVER about his steely reputation as the chief executive of Apple, it’s fair to say that Tim Cook chooses his words with careful deliberation. When he reveals his serious concerns about the impact of excessive screen time on children’s mental health, we can be guaranteed that he has based his conviction on solid evidence rather than a heated rush of emotion.

Unlike many other titans of technology like Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs who severely restricted their children’s use of smartphones, Cook doesn’t have any offspring to ban from technology. But he has a nephew who he has sought to protect with appropriate boundaries.

‘There are some things that I won’t allow; I don’t want them on a social network,’ said Cook previously. Now he has added that he is ‘deeply worried’ about the some of the apps available on Apple devices.

The drive to raise parental awareness of the dangers of social media, and in particular its effects on children, has not just thrown up some unlikely spokespeople but created some unlikely bedfellows. The worlds of science and traditional religion for instance, whose values often seem to collide, are on this grave matter aligned.

The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, has also raised his voice in opposition to the modern malaise.

In an address to teachers, the Archbishop condemned the ‘threatening nature’ of social media and the ‘undoubted’ impact of smartphones on young people. ‘How sad it is that so many of our young people today feel so isolated and alone that they turn to addictive behaviours and may even consider taking their own lives?’ he asks.

This newspaper’s Protect Our Kids Online campaign, which is calling for a minimum age for smartphone ownership, has attracted support from a variety of quarters, including 2,000 readers who signed our petition. We welcome the fact that influential figures like Tim Cook and one of the country’s top prelates share our concerns.