Is your child addicted to their iPhone or iPad? Apple is working on new parental controls to help parents control child addiction to their devices.
Most parents use iPhones and iPads as learning tools and babysitting devices sometimes cause they work very well keeping their kid’s attention. It also gives parents some much-needed breathing room as well cause parenting is a 24/7 job. You also can’t keep a constant eye on your child/teen and what they consume and see on their iPhones or iPads also. Apple’s announcement of these forthcoming control measures come after two shareholders released a public letter January 6th complaining about Apple’s devices entrancing qualities and possible mental health impact on children Bloomberg reports. These two shareholders also own a combined $2 billion worth of Apple shares so hence the quick response to the letter.
Apple issued a quick statement to Bloomberg addressing the matter:
“Apple has always looked out for kids, and we work hard to create powerful products that inspire, entertain, and educate children while also helping parents protect them online. We have new features and enhancements planned for the future, to add functionality and make these tools even more robust.”
Gotta keep those shareholders happy right?
The two shareholders Jana Partners LLC and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) want Apple to include more iOS features that will help parents monitor their child’s iPhone usage. They cite increased distraction and increased risk of depression and suicide for their request for Apple to come with new control measures. We guess they don’t think social media apps should get some of the blame for that cause this isn’t all on Apple to figure out honestly.
Apple already has controls in place on their device that does a good job at restricting access to adult APPS and content (music and video) but this is a much more hardline approach. Apple agrees so we shall see what the tech giant comes up in the near future to appease the shareholders.
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Photo: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP/Getty Images
