Apple asked to help untether kids
Stakeholder groups say what they’d like to see
NEW YORK — Two major Apple investors have urged the iphone maker to help curb smartphone addiction among children, highlighting growing concern about the effects of gadgets and social media on youngsters.
New York-based Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System said in open letter to Apple that the company must offer more choices and tools to help children fight addiction to its devices. The two investors collectively control $2 billion worth of Apple shares.
Among their proposals to Apple: Establish a committee of experts, including child development specialists; offer Apple’s “vast information resources” to researchers; and enhance mobile device software so that parents have more options to protect their children’s health.
In a statement, Apple said the iphone and other devices running on its mobile software already offer a variety of controls that enable parents to restrict or block “effectively anything a child could download or access online.”
The investors’ letter cited various studies on the negative effects of smartphones and social media on children’s mental and physical health. Examples include distractions by digital technologies in the classroom, a decreased ability of students to focus on educational tasks, and higher risks of suicide and depression.
While tech companies have not acknowledged openly that their gadgets may be addictive, some Silicon Valley insiders have begun to speak about how gadgets, mobile applications and social media sites are designed to be addictive and to keep users’ attention as long as possible.
Facebook’s founding president, Sean Parker, said recently, for example, that the company exploits a “vulnerability in human psychology” to addict its users. He called its stream of comments, “likes” and reactions a “social validation feedback loop that exploits how human brains work.” And, he said, “God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.”
James Steyer, the CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies kids’ technology use, called the letter a “big deal” in the ongoing effort to make it clear that cellphones are a “public health concern.”