IMO, there's nothing going on here that hasn't been occurring for a number of years now. Technology always carries with it the capacity to improve relationships and personal growth, or hamper it. I've seen parents play video games with their kids and interact in wonderfully healthy ways. I've also seen Xbox, Playstation, etc. used as virtual babysitters because parents don't want to be 'bothered'. Same thing with videos in the car/minivan. I've seen some parents that throw on a video the second the car starts so that kids don't fuss. As someone who has put a lot of miles in cross country trips over the years, there is definitely a benefit to having something entertaining for the kids when you are 6 or 7 hours into a trip. At the same time, I'm never going to allow some movies to replace some great interaction like singing together, playing 'road games', 20 questions, etc.
This is ultimately on the parents, as they have ALL of the control. The very fact that people would expect Apple to address this just confirms that too many people have forgotten or abdicated their parental obligation. AND, in many cases, if you watch the parents, they are probably just as 'addicted' to their phones/tablets as their kids.
Often time that is true, however when you have a child who is shunned because he/she does not / cannot participate in what their social circles consider to be normal, then that child will both think and act like a child, and find a way to get what they believe to be beneficial even if that means lie/cheat/steal to get it , like a drug or other unhealthy habit, So you have children acting like children, and parents acting like parents, but an overwhelming position to the power of the parent to really do anything if the drive is there.
The argument is somewhat akin to tobacco use, we know it is bad for everyone, but we allow adults to make a choice, and have pretty stiff penalties for children who wander there, does it stop teen smoking? No, but it gives leverage to curb it. And with consenting adults I believe that is fine, your lungs, your life, your choice, with children, they are hurting themselves in ways we could have never dreamed of, people are keeping record of those things teenagers always do but never had to live with the consequences for ever. So if a tobacco company want to allow your kids to smoke at school, on a buss, any public place they were not directly under you control, would you be a bad parent for not being the stronger apposing force and you kid ends up addicted to cigarettes?
As I have said there is no fix, this is part parenting, part tech companies assisting parents in that endeavor, part luck, and a whole lot of praying. Apple/google/Facebook/twitter/Instagram should not be raising our kids, but explain how one can restrict their influence, or even properly guide through it under the current set of tools?
Lots of parents do not have this problem, and they think it is because they are great parents, but if you have ever been to a teen addiction center, you will see lots of good parents there too, albeit not all, but proof positive that this is not just a parenting problem.