Investors want Apple to look into the 'long-term health' of kids using its products

By the time they are teenagers, half of young adults say they are addicted to their phones.
(Image credit: iStock)

Apple investors Jana Partners and CalSTRS, which combined own about $2 billon of the company's stock, are ramping up pressure on the tech giant to study the effects of its products on children's health, The New York Times reports. "We believe the long-term health of [Apple's] youngest customers and the health of society, our economy, and the company itself are inextricably linked," said the investors in an open letter.

Concerns about young people's screen time stem from studies such as one in 2015 by Common Sense Media, which found that half of teenagers spend four hours or more a day looking at screens. Another 50 percent of teens said in a 2016 survey that they feel addicted to their phones. The managing partner of Jana, Barry Rosenstein, told the Times: "As more and more founders of the biggest tech companies are acknowledging today, the days of just throwing technology out there and washing your hands of the potential impact are over."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.