Apple Investors Demand Action Against Children’s Smartphone Addiction

Apple is asked to take action against children’s smartphone addiction. The fear is that technology will damage the minds of young souls. The concerns are increasing that gadgets and social media are negatively affecting the minds of young kids. Along with Steve Jobs, many known technologists have show concern over the effects of technology on children.

Now an open letter has been written to Apple by New York-based Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, or CalSTRS asking Apple to offer solutions that can help children in combating addiction to smart devices.

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The letter read, “There is a developing consensus around the world including Silicon Valley that the potential long-term consequences of new technologies need to be factored in at the outset, and no company can outsource that responsibility. Apple can play a defining role in signaling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do.”

These two investors control almost $2 billion worth of Apple shares collectively. They have proposed that Apple develop an expert committee that includes child development specialists. Furthermore, mobile device software is improved that give more power to the parents and more ways for them to protect their kid’s health.

In the letter, many studies and researches were quoted saying how so much use of smartphones and social media plays a negative role in the health and mental growth of a child. Some of the impacts include distractions in form of digital tech in classrooms, less focus on education leading to depression and worse suicide.

The investors displayed their concern about what will be the long-term effect of these devices, especially for those who are addicted to phones from a very early age. Now tech companies never admit about addiction caused by their gadgets but now people have started to show and voice their concerns more openly.