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Vinney Wong is a highly skilled writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, HuffPost Canada, The Medium, and more. She currently works as a freelance writer and copy editor, specializing in topics about pop culture and editing prose in various genres, including fiction and non-fiction short stories.

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Apple’s Smartphone Addiction Controls Won’t Help

Smartphone addiction has become somewhat of a cliché with experts constantly telling us it is a serious problem.

Study after study have shown that people spend too much time on their phones. Whether it’s answering texts during dinner, taking selfies, or sharing videos on Facebook, smartphones have become a ubiquitous presence in our lives. Children, especially, are becoming more addicted to their devices with a report from Common Sense Media finding that “42% of children 8 and younger have their own mobile devices.”

The problem has become so big that in January two of Apple’s shareholders sent a letter to the company’s board urging Apple to develop solutions for the “unintentional negative consequences” of iPhone usage amongst kids. These negative consequences include impeding cognitive abilities and increasing mental health problems.

A recent report by The NPR notes that depression and anxiety among teenagers aged 15-19 has more than doubled in the past decade as a result of using smartphones. Jean Twenge, one of the authors of the study, found that teens who spend “five or more hours per day on their devices are 71 percent more likely to have one risk factor for suicide.” This means that regardless of the content consumed, children and teens are likely to be at risk for mental health issues.

On Monday, Apple obliged their shareholders’ request and unveiled a variety of new controls to help curb smartphone addiction. The Globe and Mailreports that Apple’s new operating system, iOS12, “would allow users to monitor and limit the amount of time they have spent on their phones that day.” Users can also set restrictions on the amount of time they spend on particular apps, while parents will be able to monitor their children’s smartphone activities remotely.

Apple’s new tools may seem effective in theory but fails on practicality. Addicted individuals won’t admit that they are and will revert to old habits despite limitations set in place. Users who are addicted to their smartphones are no different as they can easily bypass the timer restrictions set on their apps or even turn them off completely, rendering Apple’s initiative flawed.

The ease in which users can bypass Apple’s app restrictions mean that technology can’t solve every problem out there, but it helps parents see that they can play a better role in regulating smartphone usage.

Smartphone addiction should be solved by parents or institutions through enforcing stricter rules to help minimize the impact it has on children and teens.

Firstly, smartphones should be banned or limited in grade school until high school. Currently the Toronto and York Public School Boards allow students to bring their own devices to school. A study from the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research in 2017 found that the mere presence of smartphones in class reduces cognitive capacity and causes academic performances to decline. The school boards should follow France’s lead on banning smartphones in primary, junior, and middle schools to reduce distractions and help better academic results.

A no-phones-at school zone would encourage children and teens to further develop their social skills and be better in tune with their surroundings.

Secondly, parents should enforce confiscating their children or teens’ smartphones in limited time frames. By physically taking away their phones, parents have the upper hand in teaching them discipline and make them aware of the potential health issues linked with social media usage. The rise in depression and anxiety is serious, but many of those at risk are simply unaware of it.

Lastly, parents can teach children to be less reliant on their phones by creating a communal space where they can monitor smartphone usage while reminding them of the boundaries set in place. There’s a reason why companies like Apple aren’t telling their consumers to get rid of phones despite knowing that they impede productivity. Smartphones should serve us, not rule us.

The tools Apple have created might help users quit, but it’s ultimately up to parents and institutions to limit and educate those who are vulnerable to smartphone addiction.