Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't want people using phones too much, urges parents to limit their kids' screen time

By Divyanshi SharmaIt is no secret that smartphone addiction is slowly catching hold of people and is a serious issue that needs to be talked about more. There have been ample studies and reports over the years that have mentioned the negative side of always looking at your phone’s screen. Even in your everyday life, if you take a moment to reflect, chances are that you might find how most of our lives revolve around our phones and that it is a task to not use it for extended periods of time. The University of North Carolina also published the results of a three-year-long study in February this year, warning that digital media addiction might have an effect on adolescents’ brains.

Apple CEO Tim Cook also says that people shouldn’t be looking at their phones for too long. He added that parents should set some limits on how much time their kids spend in front of screens.

Tim Cook warns against excessive phone use

The Apple CEO, in an interview with GQ, said that kids these days are ‘born digital’ and are ‘digital kids now’. He added that he feels it is ‘really important to set some hard rails around it’.

Talking about smartphone addiction in people, Tim Cook said that Apple stands against digital addiction and doesn’t want people spending too much time on their phones. He also added that the company actually ‘provides tools’ so that people don’t indulge in excessive usage of their phones.

He said, “We don’t want people using our phones too much. We’re not incentivized for that. We don’t want that. We provide tools so people don’t do that.”

He further said that Apple is focusing on products that will ’empower people to do, learn, or create things they otherwise couldn’t’.

Father of cellphones on smartphone addiction

On Tuesday, mobile calling turned 50 years old as the first cellphone call was made by Martin Cooper on April 3, 1973. Eventually, Cooper began to be known as the ‘father of cell phones’ and was working for Motorola when he made the first call. Today, Martin, who uses an iPhone, called out the state of cellphone addiction in people and said that it was quite worrisome.

He said that he found it ‘devastating’ when he sees people crossing roads while looking at their mobile phones. “They are out of their minds,” the f94-year-old said and jokingly added, “After a few people get run over by cars, they’ll figure it out.”