Apple on Wednesday moved to defend itself amid criticism that it doesn’t do enough to combat child-age smartphone addiction, disclosing in a written statement published by The Wall Street Journal that it’s currently developing several advanced parental control features as part of an upcoming iOS software update.
At the same time, Apple ingeniously seized on its opportunity to remind everyone that it’s been a staunch proponent of moderating children’s iPhone and iPad usage, pointing to the myriad of parental controls already built into iOS.
“We have new features and enhancements planned for the future, to add functionality and make these tools even more robust,” Apple said in its official statement to WSJ, while going on to stress that “We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them.”
“We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids.”
Apple’s statement to WSJ comes in response to an open letter the company received earlier this week from two of its largest shareholders — activist investors Jana Partners, and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), who combined own about $2 billion in AAPL shares.
In their letter, as we we shared with you just yesterday, Perkins and her colleagues sounded the alarm around what they dubbed the “growing public health crisis” that is smartphone addiction in young children and teens — while going to essentially accuse Apple of failing to sufficiently tackle the issue or address concerns surrounding it.
Of course, in addition to all the “new features and enhancements” Apple says it currently has in the pipeline, the company has in reality been one of the most ardent proponents for parents who desire to moderate their kid’s smartphone and tablet usage. While it’s not publicized in great detail, the company pointed to its existing slate of iOS parental controls — which allow parents to moderate content like apps, websites, movies, songs, and books and much more.
Apple pointed out, furthermore, that some of these features (including the ability to block or restrict essentially anything your child has access to online) have been instated since as far back as 2008.
Unfortunately, today’s statement is mum on exactly what these upcoming parental controls will bring to the iOS platform, but it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll hear more about them at or before Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June.
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