A group of Stanford University students launched a public protest against Apple this weekend, reports The Stanford Daily, saying that Apple has failed to take “common sense” steps to curb technology addiction. Citing multiple studies and noting Apple’s ability to spur industry-wide changes, the Stanford Students Against Addictive Devices (SSAAD) campaign marks an escalation on the topic of device addiction, which has evolved from a parental concern to affected young people speaking out on their own.
Led by three Stanford computer science majors and a Stanford Hospital medical student, SSAAD protested outside Apple’s Palo Alto store, a location that historically has been personally visited by key Apple executives. The group handed out pamphlets and engaged with the public, specifically calling for Apple to take specific actions to decrease the addictiveness of iPhones.
According to the pamphlet, titled “Apple holds us captive,” half of teens feel addicted to their iPhones, and over two-thirds of adults check their iPhone hourly, collectively causing stress, harming personal relationships, and undermining productivity. “Even though Apple’s business model does not rely on device addiction,” SSAAD said, “they fail to take common sense steps to address the issue.” SSAAD proposed that iPhones include a usage pattern tracker to clearly show time spent in various apps, add granular controls for notifications, and offer an “essential mode” that restricts iPhone usage to calls, texts, and photos.
This protest is noteworthy because of both the protesters and their specific target. While the topic of device addiction was previously raised by Apple shareholders who also happened to be concerned parents and educators, SSAAD’s protest comes from students concerned about themselves and their friends. The original Stanford Daily report notes that unaffiliated passersby stopped by the protest to agree with the protesters, noting that younger people have become addicted to their phones and don’t realize it.
Apple has a longstanding, positive relationship with Stanford. Headquartered in nearby Cupertino, Apple has for years hired engineers from the university’s computer science department, and more recently collaborated with Stanford medical teams on health-related initiatives. One of SSAAD’s founders suggested that Stanford’s proximity to the tech industry compelled the protest. “We are going to go work for these different companies and we need to have some sort of ethical footing,” said SSAAD’s Sanjay Kannan. “I’d say this is one of the more uncontroversial issues out there. I think a lot of people agree that people are addicted to their phones.”
from Social – VentureBeat http://ift.tt/2D0AKkL
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