From a study published back in November, social media exposure and overuse of smartphones are some of the major contributions to depression (apart from other suicidal traits) among youngsters and teens. This is something that the tech firms would never acknowledge wholeheartedly. Exactly, this is the reason why a couple of days ago, Apple investors have shrugged off concerns raised by two shareholders concerning kids using iPhones are drowning in addiction.
Apple investors earlier were reported to state that this little addiction ‘might not be a bad thing for profits‘. Chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, Ross Gerber (Apple shareholder), stated,
“We invest in things that are addictive.”
However, a few days back, even Hedge fund JANA Partners and California State Teachers’ Retirement System stated that the heavy use of iPhones is hurting children’s developing brains. In an open letter (which reads, “Apple can play a defining role in signalling 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”), the two investors asked Apple to provide more tools and choices in order to recover and fight children’s addiction to iPhones. As a matter of fact, the investors control $2 billion (roughly Rs. 12,700 crores) collectively, which is worth Apple shares.
On the other counterpart, Android has many apps like programm snoopza to control everything that your children are looking for using the smartphone on hand. So it’s very obvious that people using such a high-end phone may look for something same. Using these kinds of spy SMS app,
Newer reports nevertheless point out that Apple has finally responded to the investors’ demand for iPhone Addiction in Kids. The Cupertino tech giant has now responded to the demands of the investors saying, the company would deliver “new features and enhancements” in the upcoming updates to iPhones. Furthermore, the Cupertino tech company says,
“We take this responsibility very seriously…
….and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids. Apple is “constantly looking” to improvise its offerings and also plans to offer improved parental controls which will be ‘even more robust’. We are yet to see any changes on the ground, however. even if we keep in mind that such things take time to fructify.
