Investors Urge Apple to Do More to Protect Children From Smartphone Addiction [Updated]

[Fiachers]

Is this another "Caution; this drink it hot" type of nonsense?

Do you know how I control the social media for my 15 years old? She does not have social media because she does not need it. Few years ago when she asked for Instagram and Snapchat we let her use it under the conditions that she would not spend too much time on it. but she abused it and we deleted her accounts and blocked the iPhone to allow her to download any apps and restricted Safari. Same with her MacBook - problem solved and she is doing just fine without that garbage.

I hope I don't get banned for saying this, but, good grief, you are a horrible parent.
[doublepost=1515479585][/doublepost]

While we're at it, let's urge car makers to do more to curb teen pregnancy.

lol, I knew that there would be an absolutely appalling comment like this with the most up votes. Go Apple! Not responsible for anything ever. Libertarians...

 

[JediZenMaster]

I hope I don't get banned for saying this, but, good grief, you are a horrible parent.
[doublepost=1515479585][/doublepost]

That’s a pretty bad thing to say considering you don’t know the MR Poster personally.

Why is not letting teens use social media a bad thing? You need water and at times food. You don’t need Snapchat, instagram etc to live or have friends. Lots of teens don’t have that mess.

I have a 16 year old nephew who hates social media only has a FB account and that’s to keep close with friends who are far away sometimes. But his circle of friends don’t like that mess.

If this is what your leading with as your baseline for bad parenting then I don’t know what else to say.

 

[phalseHUD]

Apple also said that it is "constantly looking" for ways to improve its device and said new "even more robust" parental controls will come in the future.

That’s excellent. Why would anyone be against improvement in this area?!

 

[Solomani]

Well, let's also ask all the places that make junk food to quit making it, too.

You need food. You need to communicate with others. You don't need alcohol or tobacco. Especially if you're a kid.

I don't exactly think they're equivalent.

I do think Apple could work on some better parental controls, but asking them to do more than that is a bit unrealistic.

Oh dear. I think that this may lead to Apple allowing for "draconian" parental controls…. like the parent's iPhone can simply send a wireless command to shut off the minor's iPhone, essentially bricking it for some period of time. But maybe that's the kind of controls we need?

And then what? The kids will ask for Androids the next Christmas, knowing that Apple has caved in to demands for parental controls to address this issue. But the kids will migrate to Androids since it's still the unregulated Wild West, and the activists let Androids get away with everything (only Apple is targeted with these social issues).

 

[Osamede]

If you don’t like what Apple is doing, sell your shares and shut up. It isn’t a company’s job to parent other people’s kids. Period.

This is the worst sort of "simplification". Even Apple does itself does not try to claim that it can absolve itself of all duties to social responsibility.

Sorry, but completely invalid.

We are discussing here not only the mental health of children but implicitly it also determines what sort of future society are we building.

Some will say " should not throw everything on apple", but again this is nonsense. If you take the premise that there is a real problem here, then indeed the correct approach is to put pressure on the industry leader and company that earns 95% of industry profits. They are the leader, so yes push them to lead in the correct direction.

 

[JediZenMaster]

This is the worst sort of "simplification". Even Apple does itself does not try to claim that it can absolve itself of all duties to social responsibility.

Sorry, but completely invalid.

We are discussing here not only the mental health of children but implicitly it also determines what sort of future society are we building.

Some will say " should not throw everything on apple", but again this is nonsense. If you take the premise that there is a real problem here, then indeed the correct approach is to put pressure on the industry leader and company that earns 95% of industry profits. They are the leader, so yes push them to lead in the correct direction.

I will echo what others have it’s not Apple or any other companies responsibility to parent their children.

If folks can’t parent their kids then they should not have had them and we can go back and forth on this but there is no valid reason as to why.

The same way a car company is not responsible for people who get DUI’s.

This is just another case of folks not accepting accountability for a situation they created (I.E parents who are too “busy”) with their enablers expecting Apple to pick up the slack is if there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[ammon]

How about a simple "put the phone down" or just take it from them. How hard is that?

We have house rules regarding screen time. And if my wife or I see it being abused we do confiscate the device.

HOWEVER, I don’t know about you, but I work full time and have chores to do around the house in the evening. It isn’t possible to hover over my children 24/7 with a stop watch to see how long they are on it. It’s not like the 70” TV in the family room that everyone can see who is using it!

 

[jonnysods]

That's alright, I don't speak in a supercilious manner, generally, and if I DID, it wouldn't be to innocent, nice people
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You could always grab a hammer, and stove it in beyond all possibility of repair, and then revert to a brick phone; I've considered this SERIOUSLY, many times!

It's when I have a few seconds of boredom and I pick up my phone with nothing to really check or look at that I feel like I've become addicted and unable to experience any quiet contemplating or daydreaming anymore.

 

[saile]

asking Apple to fight young people's addiction to smartphones is like asking Philip Morris to fight the tobacco addiction!


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iphone 6s iphone 7

 

[cmaier]

Because Apple is the biggest company on earth that got to where they are by having high standards for quality and are held under more scrutiny than other companies ... and mostly due to the fact that they kept this blatantly hidden from customers and would never have tried to address the issue at all had it not been brought to our attention.

They kept hidden from customers that loud noises hurt ears?

 

[smacrumon]

It's not the parent's job. Saying parents are to blame is a rubbish suggestion. Parents aren't using the device. Kids are using the devices. Apple (and others) MUST ensure their devices do NO HARM. Anything else must be prosecuted and the devices completely regulated.
There are too many options for all individuals to become addicted and sick using the devices. There are too many casino like addictive apps on the App Store as well. These aspects need to be regulated or completely removed.
Apple needs to moved and it needs to move right now!

 

[PG(Austin)]

Maybe because one of Apples “features” is thier absolute control over hardware and software integration. This locks out many third party app makers from providing powerful parental controls.

People whine about parents needing to be parents but when parents ask companies to provide varied parental controls people then pull the “why should ‘insert company’ have to take care of your kids”.

Apple includes many things for parental control and there are NUMEROUS apps that can assist just fine in iOS, but the ultimate control comes down to the parents. You have PHYSICAL access to a device as a parent...YOU can remove that device from the child's possession. I'm so tired of people putting the blame on someone else...parents need to TAKE the responsibility of raising their kids NOT some device they can hand them when they don't want to deal with it thereby getting the kid addicted to the device, then complain to the device company to "do something for the children!"

I can't COUNT the times I've seen a screaming kid in a store or one of my family members and a parent hands them a device to shut them up. This is all self inflicted on the parents part. They are digital baby sitters. Again, THEY can remove the device from the kid...period!

 

[Dmndrs]

I will echo what others have it’s not Apple or any other companies responsibility to parent their children.

If folks can’t parent their kids then they should not have had them and we can go back and forth on this but there is no valid reason as to why.

The same way a car company is not responsible for people who get DUI’s.

This is just another case of folks not accepting accountability for a situation they created (I.E parents who are too “busy”) with their enablers expecting Apple to pick up the slack is if there is nothing wrong with that.

By your logic, anything that is designed and sold that makes parenting easier, shouldn't be available. Breast pumps? **** that, if the mother can't make time to breast feed her child every time it's hungry, then she shouldn't have had it in the first place. Baby monitors? **** that too. If you can't be physically present at ALL times for the first year of your childs' life, you shouldn't have had a kid. For a JediZenMaster, you sure seem to like dealing in absolutes.

No one has said it's Apple's responsibility to parent their child. Parents are saying that if Apple is going to heavily market their products to children, then Apple can expect parents to request tools that aid in regulating the use of those products.

 

[Smith288]

Then did... at least with my 3 yr old's unlocked and wifi only iPhone 4... it's batter lasts, like an hour max. Then we tell her it's done for the day. Good work apple! lol

 

[JediZenMaster]

By your logic, anything that is designed and sold that makes parenting easier, shouldn't be available. Breast pumps? **** that, if the mother can't make time to breast feed her child every time it's hungry, then she shouldn't have had it in the first place. Baby monitors? **** that too. If you can't be physically present at ALL times for the first year of your childs' life, you shouldn't have had a kid. For a JediZenMaster, you sure seem to like dealing in absolutes.

No one has said it's Apple's responsibility to parent their child. Parents are saying that if Apple is going to heavily market their products to children, then Apple can expect parents to request tools that aid in regulating the use of those products.

First of all don’t YOU ever attack me by telling me I should not have kids let’s keep this on the discussion at hand you don’t know my life so you need to stop right there.

Second I’ve already said all that I am going to say to you on the subject. I’m leaving it right here. Have a good day!
[doublepost=1515522038][/doublepost]

Apple includes many things for parental control and there are NUMEROUS apps that can assist just fine in iOS, but the ultimate control comes down to the parents. You have PHYSICAL access to a device as a parent...YOU can remove that device from the child's possession. I'm so tired of people putting the blame on someone else...parents need to TAKE the responsibility of raising their kids NOT some device they can hand them when they don't want to deal with it thereby getting the kid addicted to the device, then complain to the device company to "do something for the children!"

I can't COUNT the times I've seen a screaming kid in a store or one of my family members and a parent hands them a device to shut them up. This is all self inflicted on the parents part. They are digital baby sitters. Again, THEY can remove the device from the kid...period!

When I was a kid all it took was getting that “look of death” from my mother and that stopped me right there.

I have lots of nieces and nephews and know lots of folks who have kids and have baby set a lot and never ever seen kids being addicted to these devices like a crackhead is to crack.

Anywho I can only go by what I’ve seen personally.

 

[bunnicula]

Oh dear. I think that this may lead to Apple allowing for "draconian" parental controls…. like the parent's iPhone can simply send a wireless command to shut off the minor's iPhone, essentially bricking it for some period of time. But maybe that's the kind of controls we need?

And then what? The kids will ask for Androids the next Christmas, knowing that Apple has caved in to demands for parental controls to address this issue. But the kids will migrate to Androids since it's still the unregulated Wild West, and the activists let Androids get away with everything (only Apple is targeted with these social issues).

I'm thinking of younger kids who are just getting started with a smartphone. I think they'll just be excited to have them. And, having those controls available would set Apple apart as the phone to have if you want these types of utilities in your child's first smartphone. Or second, or third. People who go overboard with blocking their teenagers and so forth from using the phone as intended are going to be obnoxious anyway. I know people who make their 17yo kids put their phones in a basket in the parent's room before bed. I mean, why???

 

[GSDLVR123]

First of all don’t YOU ever attack me by telling me I should not have kids let’s keep this on the discussion at hand you don’t know my life so you need to stop right there.

Second I’ve already said all that I am going to say to you on the subject. I’m leaving it right here. Have a good day!
[doublepost=1515522038][/doublepost]

When I was a kid all it took was getting that “look of death” from my mother and that stopped me right there.

I have lots of nieces and nephews and know lots of folks who have kids and have baby set a lot and never ever seen kids being addicted to these devices like a crackhead is to crack.

Anywho I can only go by what I’ve seen personally.

LOL - loved the "Death Stare" comment - knew it well (I'm old). My wife and have 3 kids (14,16 and 17) - all have Iphones, Ipads, MBP laptops and an Imac to share. My kids have a lot of 'stuff' that could hurt/damage them (dirt bikes, kayaks, 4 wheelers, cars, horses, etc). We have had Schutzhund German Shepherds in our home (since our kids were 2,3 and 4). We have guns - handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc. Everyone in our home has varying degrees of Black Belts in different forms of martial arts. Heck we live on a horse farm surrounded by a river! To a lot of folks, our home is a virtual death trap. If my kids crash a dirt bike, shoot themselves, get addicted to the internet , etc - we will not hire an attorney or blame Honda, Sig Sauer , or Apple - we will blame ourselves first and then our kids for not listening to our guidance. We set strict limits/standards - Consequences happen if those standards are not met. My son has had to shovel for hours for not abiding by his 1 hour a day limit of games. My girls have lost electronic privileges for not saying mam or sir. I am not saying parenting is easy, but I am saying it is the responsibility of my Wife and me to ensure our kids are prepared to face the world. I own Apple stock because it is and has been a good investment - I do not need their help raising my kids.

 

[Solomani]

LOL - loved the "Death Stare" comment - knew it well (I'm old). My wife and have 3 kids (14,16 and 17) - all have Iphones, Ipads, MBP laptops and an Imac to share. My kids have a lot of 'stuff' that could hurt/damage them (dirt bikes, kayaks, 4 wheelers, cars, horses, etc). We have had Schutzhund German Shepherds in our home (since our kids were 2,3 and 4). We have guns - handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc. Everyone in our home has varying degrees of Black Belts in different forms of martial arts. Heck we live on a horse farm surrounded by a river! To a lot of folks, our home is a virtual death trap. If my kids crash a dirt bike, shoot themselves, get addicted to the internet , etc - we will not hire an attorney or blame Honda, Sig Sauer , or Apple - we will blame ourselves first and then our kids for not listening to our guidance. We set strict limits/standards - Consequences happen if those standards are not met. My son has had to shovel for hours for not abiding by his 1 hour a day limit of games. My girls have lost electronic privileges for not saying mam or sir. I am not saying parenting is easy, but I am saying it is the responsibility of my Wife and me to ensure our kids are prepared to face the world. I own Apple stock because it is and has been a good investment - I do not need their help raising my kids.

I'm an AAPL shareholder as well. And I also share your same sentiment. Sure I suppose Apple could add more parental controls that would place limits on a minor's usage of their iPhones/iPads. These controls could even place "time out" limits that would brick a teenager's phone. But in the end, nothing beats good parenting.

 

[TallManNY]

What a ridiculous over reaction! In the UK it is illegal to gamble till your 18 and we manage just fine without hysteria or the world collapsing!
And it should be a global thing not just in America.

They could force you to link any and iaps from a child’s account to yours. It’s an option at present and from what I’ve seen not very good. It’s not a difficult thing to do, or maybe they could set the age limit to 16.

Regulating gambling with an age constraint is much easier and makes much more sense. When you go to a bookie you prove your age (like when buying alcohol at a store). You were the one that proposed a law that all software sales be done under an age restriction process. Or (and I hope you aren't this silly) maybe you meant that this law would only apply to Apple and apps bought through the Apple App store. And even if you did mean that, then does that mean I have to mail a copy of my drivers license to Apple to prove I'm over 18? I'm not comfortable doing that. I'm definitely not comfortable doing that to Google for my Android phones. But really it would ridiculous to make this law only apply to iOS Apps from Apple, but leave the purchase of software applications from other folks on other platforms exempt.

So you want to make this global, huh? So Apple has to take a view on the legitimacy of each age proving document provided from other countries? So Apple leans how to recognize a drivers license from Brazil, South Africa, or the Philippines (for example) and it collects government ID information from all of its nearly 1 billion customers and anyone Apple doesn't get that information from is now cut off from buying any software?

Finally there is no real issue here. Yes we hear about a few cases of this from time to time of a kid getting access to a live credit card on a device. But to disrupt the entire global software market to somewhat decrease this minor issue is overkill. The article is not about apps making illegitimate sales. It is about how young people deal with access to social media. And those Apps are free.
[doublepost=1515589370][/doublepost]

I don't t think Apple can do much. I mean, like what, stop making really great devices and software? Parents can already use parental controls. Or take devices away for a few hours of "no device time" or something. No one is making parents buy $1000 pocket computers for kids.

Consider that an old android phone which is more than capable of accessing social media can be bought for $40. By the time your kid is 12, they can get another device if they want to and they can hide it from you easily. This really isn't a case that kids are only becoming addicted to social media because they have the latest iPhone. But many kids really get into social media and we need to think about that as a society and as parents.

 

[UL2RA]

They kept hidden from customers that loud noises hurt ears?

This comment doesn't make any sense. Was this metaphorical or something or am I just misunderstanding your reply entirely?

 

[stylinexpat]

This is addiction.. 7/7 using their smartphones on one side

 

[Osamede]

I'm an AAPL shareholder as well. And I also share your same sentiment. Sure I suppose Apple could add more parental controls that would place limits on a minor's usage of their iPhones/iPads. These controls could even place "time out" limits that would brick a teenager's phone. But in the end, nothing beats good parenting.

Social problem can never be solved via “self responsibility” alone. That’s why we have govt and the concept of regulation. It must be applied. That’s what we are supposed pay tax for. Not for subsidies to these companies.

 

[Michael Goff]

It's not the parent's job. Saying parents are to blame is a rubbish suggestion. Parents aren't using the device. Kids are using the devices. Apple (and others) MUST ensure their devices do NO HARM. Anything else must be prosecuted and the devices completely regulated.
There are too many options for all individuals to become addicted and sick using the devices. There are too many casino like addictive apps on the App Store as well. These aspects need to be regulated or completely removed.
Apple needs to moved and it needs to move right now!

What? Parents aren’t using the device, but they’re probably the ones buying them. It’s like saying that Tide needs to make their Pods less edible because some kids ate them. I’m sorry, no. It’s not Tide’s fault that kids ate the Pods.

 

[cmaier]

This is addiction.. 7/7 using their smartphones on one side
View attachment 757456

How is that addiction?

When I was young and would regularly ride the subway to work, before smartphones, everybody on the train was reading a newspaper. Were they addicted to newspapers?

 

[joeblow7777]

This is addiction.. 7/7 using their smartphones on one side
View attachment 757456

You can’t show addiction with a snapshot, pretty much by definition.