1:20 pm: I arrive at class and walk to the front seating area. Take off my coat, sit down, and take off my bag. I place my phone on the desk while I retrieve my laptop.
1:22 pm: With my laptop set up and prepped I still have a few minutes before class starts, so I lift up my phone to check if I have any notifications. I had received a text message from one of my friends in Florida! He has a question about which headphones he should buy.
1:23: I sent a reply. A news notification arrives to tell me about a "Breaking Story" occurring in another state.
1:25: The professor starts class, but I haven't finished the news article yet. Then my friend replies.
Smartphones are an essential part of the most rapidly advancing technical revolution the world has ever seen. They facilitate instant international communication, help me navigate around town, and let me look up facts when I get into an argument. Even so, often I find myself struggling to focus when my smartphone around. Especially if I am waiting for someone to reply to one of my messages. What is in many ways a tremendous benefit has now become somewhat of a liability. Even as I type this blog post, my phone sits next to me, idling, waiting for me to pick it up again. Endless temptation. A temptation made more unbearable because smartphones are here to stay.
One of the leading producers of smartphones is Apple. Currently, sitting at the number three spot in the Fortune 500. Their influence on the future of the smartphone is not to be taken lightly.
On January 6th, 2018 shareholders of Apple worth collectively approximately $2 billion released an open letter to Apple. In the letter, the authors first talk about their respect for Apple as an innovator for the future of technology. The investors respect the history of experience that Apple brings to the table and as investors they want to see Apple doing the best can be. The open letter is the investor's way of publicly trying to advise Apple to create new parental controls, invest in addiction research, and to create an expert committee to inform them on their choices.
"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. By doing so, we believe Apple would once again be playing a pioneering role, this time by setting an example about the obligations of technology companies to their youngest customers."
In the letter, the investors cite statistics and many recent studies regarding smartphone addiction and cognitive performance. I have copied some of the highlights below.
University of Pittsburgh researchers have found that "while using a high number of social media platforms daily is linked to depression and anxiety in young adults, using a limited number does not have the same impact."
Research by Professor Twenge has revealed "peak mental health levels among teenagers who use devices 1 hour or less a day, with teens engaging in this limited use happier than teens who do not use devices at all."
In the studies cited by the open letter, each recommends the moderate use of cellphones as a way to gain their benefits without some of the negative consequences. Parents now find themselves trying to regulate the optimal amount of screen time rather than removing technology altogether.
The investors recognize that the studies aren't definitive and that regardless of what Apple does parents are untimely responsible for their child's behavior. Even with the inadequate parental controls, 94% of parents have still taken some action to manage their child’s technology use already. Parents recognize that smartphone addiction is an issue and as a result, they are combating it.
1:28 I pick up my phone, and while checking it I realize that I missed an important fact I needed to write down. Quickly I turn my phone off and stuff it into my bag.
2:15: My class ends, and I turn my phone back on. For the rest of the class, I had been attentive and focused.