Apple: Open letter from JANA Partners and calstrs to Apple Inc.

Bron: thinkdifferentlyaboutkids.com/
6 jan. 2018

Een brief van JANA Partners, die samen met 'the California State Teachers’ Retirement System' ter waarde van ongeveer $2 miljard aan aandelen van Apple bezitten, waarin ze waarschuwen voor overmatig gebruik van iPhones. Uit de brief citeren we enkele delen.

''In partnership with experts including Dr. Michael Rich, founding director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Professor Jean M. Twenge, psychologist at San Diego State University and author of the book iGen, we have reviewed the evidence and we believe there is a clear need for Apple to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner.''

en verder:

''More than 10 years after the iPhone’s release, it is a cliché to point out the ubiquity of Apple’s devices among children and teenagers, as well as the attendant growth in social media use by this group. What is less well known is that there is a growing body of evidence that, for at least some of the most frequent young users, this may be having unintentional negative consequences:

. A study conducted recently by the Center on Media and Child Health and the University of Alberta found that 67% of the over 2,300 teachers surveyed observed that the number of students who are negatively distracted by digital technologies in the classroom is growing and 75% say students’ ability to focus on educational tasks has decreased. In the past 3 to 5 years since personal technologies have entered the classroom, 90% stated that the number of students with emotional challenges has increased and 86% said the number with social challenges has increased. One junior high teacher noted that, “I see youth who used to go outside at lunch break and engage in physical activity and socialization. Today, many of our students sit all lunch hour and play on their personal devices.”

. Professor Twenge’s research shows that U.S. teenagers who spend 3 hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35% more likely, and those who spend 5 hours or more are 71% more likely, to have a risk factor for suicide than those who spend less than 1 hour.ii

. This research also shows that 8th graders who are heavy users of social media have a 27% higher risk of depression, while those who exceed the average time spent playing sports, hanging out with friends in person, or doing homework have a significantly lower risk. Experiencing depression as a teenager significantly increases the risk of becoming depressed again later in life.iii

. Also, teens who spend 5 or more hours a day (versus less than 1) on electronic devices are 51% more likely to get less than 7 hours of sleep (versus the recommended 9). Sleep deprivation is linked to long-term issues like weight gain and high blood pressure.iv

. A study by UCLA researchers showed that after 5 days at a device-free outdoor camp, children performed far better on tests for empathy than a control group.v

. According to an American Psychological Association (APA) survey of over 3,500 U.S. parents, 58% say they worry about the influence of social media on their child’s physical and mental health, 48% say that regulating their child’s screen time is a “constant battle,” and 58% say they feel like their child is “attached” to their phone or tablet.vi

Some may argue that the research is not definitive, that other factors are also at work, and that in any case parents must take ultimate responsibility for their children. These statements are undoubtedly true, but they also miss the point. The average American teenager who uses a smart phone receives her first phone at age 10vii and spends over 4.5 hours a day on it (excluding texting and talking).viii 78% of teens check their phones at least hourly and 50% report feeling “addicted” to their phones.ix It would defy common sense to argue that this level of usage, by children whose brains are still developing, is not having at least some impact, or that the maker of such a powerful product has no role to play in helping parents to ensure it is being used optimally. It is also no secret that social media sites and applications for which the iPhone and iPad are a primary gateway are usually designed to be as addictive and time-consuming as possible, as many of their original creators have publicly acknowledged.x According to the APA survey cited above, 94% of parents have taken some action to manage their child’s technology use, but it is both unrealistic and a poor long-term business strategy to ask parents to fight this battle alone. Imagine the goodwill Apple can generate with parents by partnering with them in this effort and with the next generation of customers by offering their parents more options to protect their health and well-being.''

Zie ook:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJxnwbiz7SM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwhVCXZlZhY&feature=player_embedded

www.wsj.com/articles/iphones-and-children-are-a-toxic-pair-say-two-big-apple-investors-1515358834
iPhones and Children Are a Toxic Pair, Say Two Big Apple Investors
The Wall Street Journal

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5245831/Apple-investors-urge-action-curb-child-gadget-addiction.html#ixzz53mur6t16
Apple must fight toxic iPhone addiction among children, urge two large investors with $2 billion in shares
DailyMail

Prince Harry related to this issue recently:
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/prince-harry-warns-young-people-against-excessive-phone-use-leeds-speech-royal-family-a7829676.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/06/prince-harry-warns-mobile-phones-affecting-mental-health/

people.com/royals/prince-harry-says-young-people-spend-too-much-time-on-phones-lets-process-our-thoughts-instead/

60 Minutes related to this issue
www.cbsnews.com/news/hooked-on-phones/

For more information:
www.emfacts.com/category/cell-phone-addiction/

www.saferemr.com/2015/03/has-smart-phone-replaced-cigarette.html

www.saferemr.com/2017/12/research-on-smart-phone-and-internet.html .


Voor verslaggeving in Nederland over dit onderwerp:

www.nporadio1.nl/de-nieuws-bv/onderwerpen/440055-apple-vs-smartphoneverslaving-nrc-journalist-wouter-van-noort-legt-uit-waarom
Apple vs smartphoneverslaving: NRC-journalist Wouter van Noort legt uit waarom
9 jan. 2018

Aandeelhouders van Apple willen smartphone verslaving terugdringen om kinderen te beschermen. NRC-journalist Wouter van Noort vertelt waarom het bedrijf daar baat bij heeft. Ook legt hij uit hoe verslavingsmechanismen werken en wat bedrijven en ouders daar tegen kunnen doen.

nos.nl/artikel/2211072-helft-12-16-jarigen-vindt-zichzelf-verslaafd-aan-sociale-media.html
'Helft 12-16 jarigen vindt zichzelf verslaafd aan sociale media'



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