Shareholders ask Apple to study impact of iPhone addiction on young users

A pair of major Apple shareholders have issued an open letter asking the company to study the impact of heavy smartphone use by children and teenagers, as well as offer more parental restrictions on iPhones.

The letter, shared online by Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, suggests that there's a "growing body of evidence" that for youth with more intense habits, smartphones "may be having unintentional negative consequences." The groups argue that "growing societal unease" could eventually affect Apple, and that stemming the problem now will aid the company's shares.

In terms of restrictions, the letter proposes modifying initial setup on an iPhone to let parents set an age and appropriate limits on screen time, hours of the day, and which social media services a child can access. Likewise, parents could be given options to monitor how an iPhone is used.

Other suggetions include tasking an executive with monitoring the issue and producing annual progress reports, much in the same way the company documents its labor, environmental, and diversity concerns.

iOS already offers some parental restrictions, but these mostly affect the ability of kids to buy apps, access "offensive" content, or use built-in features such as location sharing.

While smartphones were once seen as an expensive luxury aimed at businesspeople, they have increasingly become de facto for all ages in richer countries. Some apps, such as Snapchat and Instagram, have heavily relied on young users for their success.

45 Comments

jdw 1442 comments · 18 Years

About 6 years ago

I don't see the compelling need for such a study. As a parent of a 14-year-old and an 11-year-old, I can tell you that 14-year-olds entering high school feel it's time we parents buy them an iPhone. But ultimately, it is up to we parents to decide if that's really in the best interest of the child. I also contemplate if it is in the best interest of my pocket book too, since the month fees cost far more than the iPhone in the long term.

I purchased an WIFI iPad Pro 9.7" for my daughter when it first came out since her school required either a tablet or notebook computer at the time, and the iPad was cheaper than a Mac notebook (we don't do Windows). But an iPhone is altogether a different device than a tablet because of the never-ending and expensive monthly fees and because it is small enough to fit in your pocket and tempt you to glance at it throughout the day.

I grew up with tech, my first home computer being the Macintosh 128k in 1984 when I was 13, and prior to that I had used Commodore 64 machines and other computing devices owned by friends. But I did not grow up with a mobile phone and I think perhaps that is a good thing. As such, I don't feel compelled to give in to my daughter's wishes for an iPhone, especially since we really cannot afford the monthly fees associated with it. Even if one does a study and finds iPhones are addictive (which most of us know already), the PARENT is ultimately the one responsible for either starting that addiction or preventing it from starting in the first place. The best "parental restriction" is the decision by the parent NOT to buy their child an iPhone or give them a used iPhone. That by no means prevents teaching them about tech, since computers and even tablets with WIFI are a reasonable alternative, albeit alternatives that still need some parental oversight.

jungmark 6927 comments · 13 Years

About 6 years ago

Here’s an idea: hey parents, be a parent! You can take the idevices from your kid at anytime. In fact, you don’t have to get your kid an idevice until they’ve earned it.

Rayz2016 6957 comments · 8 Years

About 6 years ago

jdw said:

I don't see the compelling need for such a study. As a parent of a 14-year-old and an 11-year-old, I can tell you that 14-year-olds entering high school feel it's time we parents buy them an iPhone. But ultimately, it is up to we parents to decide if that's really in the best interest of the child. I also contemplate if it is in the best interest of my pocket book too, since the month fees cost far more than the iPhone in the long term.

I purchased an WIFI iPad Pro 9.7" for my daughter when it first came out since her school required either a tablet or notebook computer at the time, and the iPad was cheaper than a Mac notebook (we don't do Windows). But an iPhone is altogether a different device than a tablet because of the never-ending and expensive monthly fees and because it is small enough to fit in your pocket and tempt you to glance at it throughout the day.

I grew up with tech, my first home computer being the Macintosh 128k in 1984 when I was 13, and prior to that I had used Commodore 64 machines and other computing devices owned by friends. But I did not grow up with a mobile phone and I think perhaps that is a good thing. As such, I don't feel compelled to give in to my daughter's wishes for an iPhone, especially since we really cannot afford the monthly fees associated with it. Even if one does a study and finds iPhones are addictive (which most of us know already), the PARENT is ultimately the one responsible for either starting that addiction or preventing it from starting in the first place. The best "parental restriction" is the decision by the parent NOT to buy their child an iPhone or give them a used iPhone. That by no means prevents teaching them about tech, since computers and even tablets with WIFI are a reasonable alternative, albeit alternatives that still need some parental oversight.

Well said, and well done.