Apple Defends Its Smartphone Practices for Children After Investor Critique--Update
09 January 2018 - 12:11PM
Dow Jones News
By Tripp Mickle
Apple Inc. defended its record of providing parental controls
and other protections for children who use its iPhones and other
devices, after a pair of prominent investors called on the tech
giant to take more steps to curb the ill effects of
smartphones.
In a statement late Monday, Apple said that its mobile software
includes extensive parental controls governing different types of
content and applications, noting that it started offering some of
them as early as 2008.
"We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact
they have on users and the people around them," Apple said in the
statement. "We take this responsibility very seriously and we are
committed to meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations,
especially when it comes to protecting kids."
The statement didn't directly comment on a letter sent to Apple
Saturday by Jana Partners LLC, a leading activist investor, and the
California State Teachers' Retirement System, or Calstrs, a major
pension fund. That letter, first reported by The Wall Street
Journal on Sunday, urged Apple to develop new software tools to
help parents control and limit phone use. They also asked the
company to assist in studying the impact of overuse of smartphones
on mental health.
In its response, Apple pointed to controls it provides in the
Settings section of each iPhone, allowing parents to install and
delete apps, control in-app purchases and restrict website access.
It said it also makes sure its App Store and other content areas
are clear of offensive material, such as pornography, and labeled
so that users can identify age-appropriate music movies or
songs.
The company added that it is "constantly looking" for ways to
improve its devices and said that it plans new features that will
make the tools it provides parents "even more robust."
The letter to Apple comes as Jana is seeking to raise new
multibillion-dollar fund this year to target companies it believes
can be better corporate citizens.
The investor push highlights a subject of growing concern among
academics, parents and others who worry that obsessive smartphone
use is contributing to problems such as distraction and depression
among teens.
Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 08, 2018 19:56 ET (00:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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