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Teenagers are averaging over 4.5 hours per day dorking around on their smartphones, not including time spent texting or talking. So over at Techdirt Glyn Moody writes about the question specifically asked to Apple about what to do about gadget addiction among youth.
In an open letter to Apple, two of its major shareholders, Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, have raised concerns about research that suggests young people are becoming "addicted" to high-tech devices like the iPhone and iPad, and the software that runs on them. It asks the company to take a number of measures to tackle the problem, such as carrying out more research in the area, and providing more tools and education for parents to help them deal with the issue. The letter quotes studies by Professor Jean M. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University, who is also working with the shareholders in an effort to persuade Apple to do more
(Score: 5, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 13 2018, @02:54AM (9 children)
Fuck yeah I love running cigarette ads on TV. Who gives a shit if tobacco is addictive and kills kids. It's their own fucking fault for smoking so much so why shouldn't I make bank by helping fools to kill themselves. More money for me, and money is the only important thing in life.
Child labor is great too, and I especially enjoy seeing the working kids drop dead from overwork on Christmas Day.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday January 13 2018, @02:58AM (3 children)
Shit, that reminds me, I need to make The Roomie's kids go shovel the driveway tomorrow while I watch from inside with a nice hot cup of coffee.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 13 2018, @03:05AM (2 children)
I grind children's bones to powder and use it to de-ice my driveway.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 13 2018, @03:25AM (1 child)
Better invest in lots of roundup. Bones are mostly calcium phosphate... an excellent fertilizer ... and you are gonna get weeds everywhere.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 13 2018, @03:38AM
I have a paved concrete driveway. Stupid kid. Get off my lawn and get into my bone chipper.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 13 2018, @03:44AM (4 children)
We banned child labor because unions were run by non-children who didn't want the competition.
Child labor gives kids a valued purpose. Modern children have pointless lives. Nothing they do brings income for the family. At best, they can do chores. We have had an odd obsession with self-esteem, but taken away the path to earning it.
Children tend to set up diabolical political structures. They bully each other to fight for rank. This is greatly reduced when children have a unified genuine purpose. Some of the potential bullying urge gets diverted toward being the most valued team member.
Children can be resented by parents because children take up resources. Child labor solves that problem.
Education is not an unquestionable good. It is an investment that can be a mistake if wasted. As long as a child is learning skills that will cause total lifetime earnings to increase, the child should remain in school. The expected higher rate of earnings has to compensate for the years without earnings. Suppose that people work until age 70. They can start at age 10, 20, or 30. That is grade 5, some college, or hopefully a doctorate. The length of a career would be 60, 50, or 40. We can see right off that children who stay in school must earn a higher pay, and this is made worse by inflation. Some, generally the brighter ones, can make it work. Others are only hurt by staying in school. We're being cold snobs ("Let them eat cake!") when we tell everybody to stay in school.
Some kids, despite the child labor ban, will work. They need to do this. Since legal employment is prohibited, you can imagine what they do. Kids are out there, right now in America, selling drugs and selling their bodies. Some are trained to beg and steal.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by PiMuNu on Saturday January 13 2018, @06:35AM (2 children)
> As long as a child is learning skills that will cause total lifetime earnings to increase, the child should remain in school.
You are mistaking earnings/cash income with value.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 13 2018, @07:54AM (1 child)
That had better be some amazing "value" to justify cutting the lifetime earnings of a poor person by 15%.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday January 16 2018, @02:20PM
What value to place on learning to think, learning to question received wisdom, learning the origin of the modern world, rejecting superstition for science? Gaining a fluency in reading and writing? Basic arithmetic and trigonometry?
(Score: 2) by dry on Sunday January 14 2018, @07:14AM
No, we banned child labour because of a combination of factors. People started caring and bitching, even more important, automation made them surplus.