Here's the evidence Apple shareholders used to show that smartphones are addictive for kids

pulse

January 11, 2018 6:51 PM

A growing body of research has found kids are particularly vulnerable to overuse of smartphones and other devices.

Two major Apple shareholders recently wrote an open letter expressing concern about the addictive power of the company's products.
A growing body of research has found kids are particularly vulnerable to overuse of tech products, often suffering mental health issues as a result.

Two Apple shareholders with a collective $2 billion stake in the company recently wrote a letter expressing concern that kids were developing addictions to products like the iPhone.

The second study, published in 2017 in the same journal, found in a survey of nearly 1,800 young adults a linear relationship between how many social media platforms they used and the poor quality of their mental health. The results held even after the research team controlled for the overall time spent on social media, isolating the platforms themselves as the main factor.

Their conclusion was that physicians and mental health professionals ought to ask about their patients' social media use if they show depressive symptoms.

The final study determined that 86% of Americans reported checking their various devices "constantly" or "often," generally resulting in increased stress. Constant checkers had higher stress levels overall compared to those who checked less often. More than half of parents — 58% — said they worried about the influence of social media on their child's physical and mental health.