Author Topic: Investors demand that Apple limit phone use for young people.  (Read 2679 times)

elagache

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Investors demand that Apple limit phone use for young people.
« on: January 08, 2018, 12:35:59 AM »
Dear WeatherCat technology observers,

There is a Wall Street Journal article about two large owners of Apple stock having sent a letter to Apple asking the iPhone maker to "develop new software tools that would help parents control and limit phone use more easily and to study the impact of overuse on mental health."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/iphones-and-children-are-a-toxic-pair-say-two-big-apple-investors-1515358834

Unfortunately, you need a to be subscriber to read the full story there.  However, there is a summary on the Mashable website:

http://mashable.com/2018/01/07/apple-iphone-kids/#AJQPu97xnOqK

There has been a lot of talk about the effect of technology, especially mobile technology, on children and adolescents.  Alas, hard research appears to be rare while undeniably the use of this technology has been largely unbridled.  As a society we deserve the technology makers taking an active role in making sure that their technology isn't doing catastrophic harm to our citizens.

Cheers, Edouard 

Weatheraardvark

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Re: Investors demand that Apple limit phone use for young people.
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2018, 02:21:39 PM »
My school used to ask me if I used technology in the class room.  I said I used paper, pencil, the white board and colorful markers.   They said how is that technology.
I replied, it beats the hell out of using a piece of slate and a chuck of charcoal.  Yet Lincoln became president using those tools, and I am certain Einstein used pencil and paper. It should be good enough for me and those kids.

That wasn't the answer they wanted, I guess.   I found the next day, a computer, a digital presenter and a projection unit on my desk.

But yes,  my granddaughter  has her phone constantly checking it for messages.  She doesn't call with it,just texts.   I asked her what happens when she hurts her thumbs, she replied that she would use fingers while the other parts healed.

 lol(1)

Try this link:   http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/08/investing/apple-investor-pressure-children/index.html
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xairbusdriver

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Re: Investors demand that Apple limit phone use for young people.
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2018, 04:27:49 PM »
I have asked my Grands if they realized that the device can connect multiple people together with two-way, almost real-time, voice contact simply by typing as little as seven characters? This allows responses to be easily adjacent to the question and maintain the 'train-of-thought' (such as they are) unencumbered by small screens and scrolling. Of course, this method does not depend on the tiny graphics that are supposed to convey meanings to the much limited plain text and much slower method normally used.

While Apple presents a large segment of the devices being complained about, the actual control is much more directly provided by the care-givers of the age group being offered protection. Of course, Apple has much deeper pockets than those care-givers.

I think the operative word here is "care-givers". Unfortunately, that group often lacks any real "care" and is only tangentially concerned with "giving" anything. I'm not sure any type of law can protect stupid, lazy, incompetent people from harming others!
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elagache

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Dear Weatheraardvark, X-Air, and WeatherCat cautious users of technology,

I can't be sure, but I suspect that lurking in these concerns is a matter that isn't too far removed from PhD research.  My PhD was exploring the idea that the processes of how communities form can bring forth new processes of learning.  It was based on Heidegger's conception that existence itself was in terms of a web of relationships.

There was another notion of community that wasn't real, but imagined.  According to Benedict Anderson in his book Imagined Communities, nationalism is founded on people imagining themselves to be part of a huge community that represents a nation, when a nation is much to vast to be a real community.

My observations of two different Internet communities of Buick enthusiasts suggests to me that these two different conceptions are at work in social networking on the Internet.  V-8 Buick is a large "community" of around 30,000 participants.  65GS.com has a few thousand perhaps, but only about 20 regular participants.  V-8 Buick is microcosm of social networking.  It can be very polite and friendly and it can be the site of savage disputes.  In contrast, 65GS.com is always polite and friendly.  The reason is truly obvious.  It is a small community and we don't want to offend anybody.

Benedict Anderson wanted to understand how nationalism could become a force for good and bad.  I think the Internet is once more a place where imagined communities are ultimately leading to as much harm as good.  V-8 Buick is "imagined" as a community, but in truth, most members are essentially anonymous.  There simply isn't any moral pressure to be a good netizen - and it shows.

I don't think the smart phone or any other technology to access the Internet can be directly faulted as these investors are insinuating.  Still, these devices take young people out of real communities were they must face up to their actions the next day, into communities where the harm they do often is never observed by them directly.

It should be self-evident that morality is the medium that allows all of us to get along, yet all too many people take it for granted.  It should also be obvious that morality must be learned by young people.  Social media is clearly impeding young people from developing a mature moral character.  It is a problem that the leaders in Information Technology should confront head-on, instead of turning a blind eye to the matter and hoping that their philanthropy will compensate for what is clearly a defect in their own moral character.

Edouard 

Weatheraardvark

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Re: Investors demand that Apple limit phone use for young people.
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2018, 12:12:42 AM »
I do not think it is limited to Apple, however,  parents can  use parental controls, which can limit the time the child or teen or granny  on the internet.  There are also some internet security suites as well that has parental control .  All parents have to do is be parents, not best buddies, but parents.
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Blicj11

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Re: Investors demand that Apple limit phone use for young people.
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2018, 07:22:12 AM »
Well stated everyone. I concur, especially with Weatheraardvark's excellent comment about the need for parents to be parents. I am sure grateful mine were.
Blick


elagache

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Parents are addicted also. (Re: Apple limit phone use for young people.)
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2018, 12:07:23 AM »
Dear Weatheraardvark, Blick, and WeatherCat social observers,

I do not think it is limited to Apple, however,  parents can  use parental controls, which can limit the time the child or teen or granny  on the internet.  There are also some internet security suites as well that has parental control .  All parents have to do is be parents, not best buddies, but parents.

I heartily agree with your point that parents should be more disciplined in child-rearing, but the problem in this case is that smart-phones have become so widespread in our society.  I have a cousin with adolescent children and he basically had no choice but to give both kids smart-phones.  As much as he resisted the matter, eventually he was forced to give in to the overwhelming peer pressure his kids were experiencing.

Not all parents take their responsibilities seriously for either child-rearing or smart-phone use.  I wouldn't be surprised in the California teacher's union took this extraordinary step because too many parents had become part of the problem instead of the solution.  Under those conditions where can society turn to besides the companies supplying the smart-phones?

Oh well, . . . . Edouard

elagache

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Tech developers join up to fight "tech addiction" (Re: Young people.)
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2018, 12:33:20 AM »
Dear WeatherCat information technology watchers,

There is a new non-profit organization created by former Google and Facebook employees that is seeking to change people's attitudes about the risks of "tech addiction" among young people.  Here is a New York Times article on the new group:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/04/technology/early-facebook-google-employees-fight-tech.html

Clearly the number of concerned voices is growing.  The 64 dollar question is will today's parents listen and what exactly can they do to moderate their children's dependence on information technology?

We certainly live in "interesting" times, . . . . . . . Edouard