Apple urged to address iPhone addiction by two large investors

Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System also asked Apple to study the impact of excessive phone use on mental health

epa06417904 (FILE) - A young man looks at Apple's new iPhone 8 Plus at the Apple Store of Omotesando shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, 22 September 2017 (reissued 05 January 2018). According to reports, Apple has admitted its iPhone and Mac products are affected by two considerable security flaws in the hardware chips. Several technology companies are rushing to fix two considerable flaws in popular computer chips manufactured by Intel, AMD and ARM. The flaws could help attackers to gain access to sensitive information such as banking information and passwords. It is not known if the boards and chips pictured contain the security vulnerability.  EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON
Powered by automated translation

Apple shareholders Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System are urging the smartphone maker to take steps to address what they say is a growing problem of young people getting addicted to Apple's iPhones, Jana partner Charles Penner said.

Jana, a leading activist shareholder, and CalSTRS, one of the nation's largest public pension plans, delivered a letter to Apple on Saturday asking the company to consider developing software that would allow parents to limit children's phone use, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Jana and CalSTRS also asked Apple to study the impact of excessive phone use on mental health, according to the publication.

CalSTRS and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Jana and CalSTRS together control about $2 billion worth of Apple shares, the Journal reports.

The social rights issue is a new turn for Jana, which is known for pushing companies it invests in to make financial changes.

____________

Read more:

The dangers of too much screen time for children and how to fix it

Are you addicted to social media? Here's how to check

Parents glued to smartphone screens setting poor example for children, forum hears

Apple iPhone X review: An expensive status symbol that still wows

____________

However, the issue of phone addiction among young people has become a growing concern in the United States as parents report their children cannot give up their phones. CalSTRS and Jana worry that Apple's reputation and stock could be hurt if it does not address those concerns, according to the Journal.

Half of teenagers in the United States feel like they are addicted to their mobile phones and report feeling pressure to immediately respond to phone messages, according to a 2016 survey of children and their parents by Common Sense Media.

The phone addiction issue got a high-profile boost from the former Disney child star Selena Gomez, 24, who said she cancelled a 2016 world tour to go to therapy for depression and low self-esteem, feelings she linked to her addiction to social media and the mobile photo-sharing app Instagram.