iPhone Designer Worried About iPhone Addiction
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LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami/CNN) - A former Apple executive who designed the iPod and iPhone wants Silicon Valley to do the right thing and help us put down our phones and tablets.
Tony Fadell took to Twitter to echo recent criticism from major Apple investors.
Adults are addicts - not only kids! & Google needs to help! Apple investors worried about smartphone addiction https://t.co/1SC0tXXchM @WSJ
— Tony Fadell (@tfadell) January 8, 2018
2/10
Device addiction is real. "Driving under the influence" = "Texting & Driving"
Each day 9 people get killed, 1000s hurt because of it:https://t.co/QWqX9LgwUV https://t.co/wWBQNMdsYK— Tony Fadell (@tfadell) January 8, 2018
3/10
UK adults spend 8+ hrs on screens/day, children 6.5 hrs. Don't ignore the link betw social media use & depression. 34% of people checked Facebook in the last 10 minutes.
The stats are driving digital detox movements globally:https://t.co/RxhiUcvVn8 https://t.co/wWBQNMdsYK— Tony Fadell (@tfadell) January 8, 2018
5/10
We need to control our own environment & we need information:
Step 1: We need to know where the line is & when we've crossed over to addiction.
Step 2: We need our ongoing usage habits reflected back to us.
Our smartphone "bottle" needs to tell us we've had enough. https://t.co/wWBQNMdsYK— Tony Fadell (@tfadell) January 8, 2018
He continued that Google, Facebook, and Twitter have "gotten so good at getting us to go for another click, another dopamine hit. They now have a responsibility & need to start helping us track & manage our digital addictions across all usages - phone, laptop, TV etc."
Fadell also said that government regulations might be needed if these companies "don't step up."
Fadell finished his tweetstorm demanding that it's time for Silicon Valley to act.
10/10
With (or without) these tools, it's up to us to act:
Screen time rules, living in the moment, screen-free meals, relearning analog objects like books & writing & sketching, tech-free days for the family to be together. (And yes it's ironic I'm tweeting this…) :) https://t.co/wWBQNMdsYK— Tony Fadell (@tfadell) January 8, 2018
Two of Apple's biggest investors, California State Teachers' Retirement System and Jana Partners, said smartphones are leading to insufficient sleep, a higher risk of depression and suicide. The investors own about $2 billion in Apple stock between them.
In a statement, Apple said it has a "long history" of parental controls. "We have new features and enhancements planned for the future, to add functionality and make these tools even more robust," it added.
"We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them," Apple said in a statement. "We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids."
(©2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
