WWDC 2018: Apple unveils software tools to curb iPhone addiction in children

TECH giant Apple has revealed new software tools it says will will help prevent kids from becoming addicted to smartphones. But education experts have a warning for concerned parents.

ONE of the world’s biggest smartphone makers has revealed plans to stop you looking at your smartphone quite so much this year, and to prevent children overusing the technology.

Apple’s new smartphone tools, revealed at its annual Worldwide Developers’ Conference overnight, will launch after criticism from two of its biggest investors earlier this year, which accused the tech giant of failing to do enough to address excessive screen use by children.

Education experts say the upcoming software additions will likely prove a starting point for concerned parents, but warn it won’t be a complete solution to smartphone addiction.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the 2018 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference at the San Jose Convention Centre.

Apple software engineering senior vice-president Craig Federighi unveiled the company’s new smartphone control tools in San Jose, admitting “some apps demand more of our attention that we might even realise”.

“They bait us to use our phone when we really should be occupying ourselves with something else,” he said.

“They send us flurries of notifications, trying to draw us in with the fear of missing out. And for some of us it’s become such a habit that we might not even recognise just how distracted we’ve become.”

To address the growing worldwide smartphone obsession, Apple will launch a new app called Screen Time that records how long users spend looking at their phones, and issues weekly reports comparing their usage patterns to that of previous weeks.

Apple software engineering senior vice-president Craig Federighi unveiled the company’s new smartphone control tools.

Parents will also be able to remotely track and limit their children’s use of those devices.

“You get a summary of the time you’re spending in apps … how often per hour you’re picking up your phone, and what’s drawing you in, and what apps are sending you the most notifications,” he said.

“Equipped with this insight, you can make decisions about how much time you want to spend with your device each day.”

Parents can also opt to receive reports from their children’s iPhones, and can set daily time limits on individual apps, such as YouTube, or categories, like social media.

When the daily allowance runs out, the phone displays a message that “it’s time to move on”.

Apple’s addition, part of its iOS 12 software due later this year, will follow criticism about a lack of tools to limit children’s use of iPhones in an open letter from two of the company’s biggest investors in January.

Parents will also be able to remotely track and limit their children’s use of those devices.

Investment group Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, which controlled more than $2.5 billion in Apple stock, called on the company to produce more comprehensive parental controls for its devices.

“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,” the letter read.

“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.”

Western Sydney University technology and learning researcher Dr Joanne Orlando said the company’s new Screen Time tool was sorely needed, and “Apple and all the other big tech companies definitely have a social responsibility” to help parents negotiate appropriate smartphone use.

She said Screen Time reports could be used as a starting point for negotiating appropriate smartphone use with a child, though warned neither reports nor app restrictions provided a complete answer.

“This can help with working out what’s good for your child but it doesn’t give black and white rules around ‘this is what’s good for an eight-year-old,’ a maximum time limit,” she said.

“This is just something that will help you, but it needs to be done as part of a conversation.”

She said the Screen Time reports could also help smartphone-obsessed parents track whether they’re looking up from their screens often enough.

Apple’s move will follow new efforts by Google to introduce a “digital wellness” dashboard, where users can see how much time they’re spending on their phone, how many times they unlock it each day, and how many notifications they receive.

Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson travelled to San Jose as a guest of Apple.

Originally published as WWDC 2018: Apple unveils software tools to curb iPhone addiction in children