(Mirror Daily, United States) – Two major Apple investors have recently urged the tech giant to do more about iPhone addiction in kids.
The shareholders want the iPhone maker to invest more in ways of preventing smartphone addiction among young people.
Jana Partners and California State Teachers’ Retirement System, which combinedly own $2 billion’s worth of Apple shares, are urging Apple to set in place protections against negative mental health effects of smartphone addiction in kids and teens. Apple’s market value currently stands at $900 billion.
The two shareholders underlined that a plethora of studies have suggested that smartphone addiction is real and can be all the riskier in young people. Kids diagnosed with smartphone addiction tend to pay less attention in class, are affected by sleep disorders, have a higher risk of depression, and struggle with suicidal thoughts.
The two groups posted a letter online Sunday, urging Apple to live up to the obligation as a tech company to design products that don’t harm its youngest consumers. The groups called for stricter parental controls on iPhones so that parents can have better control over the time spent on the devices and the content accessed.
Apple Should Do More to Fight iPhone Addiction
According to the letter, Apple can be an example to other tech giants if it decides to pay special attention to the effects of excess smartphone use on the brains and minds of the next generation.
The investors call for the company to pour more money in the research and development efforts that could enhance parental controls on the iPhone. The letter notes that the current parental controls either allow the parents to shut down the devices or give kids full access to content and functions. It is an “all or nothing approach,” the letter reads.
The shareholders also want Apple to appoint an executive to track the company’s progress in the issue and report back to them once a year.
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