Apple advised to study the impact of children using smartphones

Apple shareholders are urging the company to do research on the adverse effects of smartphones and Apple products on children.

There has been a suggestion that there could be an impact on children's mental health after prolonged use of smartphones. In response, one of Apple's major shareholders, Jana Partners LLC and California State Teachers' Retirement System (Calstrs), sent an open letter to the company requesting for the research to be done. They hold $2 billion worth of Apple Inc shares and are calling for a change. In their letter, they said:

"There is a growing body of evidence that, for at least some of the most frequent young users, this may be having unintentional negative consequences. We specifically ask that Apple form a committee of experts and specialists to research and study this issue and monitor ongoing developments in technology. Additionally, we encourage Apple to offer parents more tools by enhancing mobile device software to enable age-appropriate setup options including limiting screen time, setting up parental monitoring, etc."

They pointed out a recent study, by the Center on Media and Child Health and the University of Alberta, which found that there was a major growth in the distraction of children in the classroom by digital technologies, resulting in a decrease in attention for educational tasks. They also noted that many children prefer to check their phones at lunch, rather than socialising or playing. Apple has yet to respond to the request.