? Smartphone Addiction Management
Image via Apple
Apple, in the months leading up to WWDC 2018, had been receiving a wealth of flak from critics and random advocacy groups who accused the company of “failing to do more to curb the epidemic that is smartphone addiction” — particularly among the teenage population.
Interestingly, Apple acknowledged these claims earlier this year with a public statement indicating it’s assembled a team of iOS engineers to work on features designed to help curb smartphone usage, as well as give parents more insight into their kid’s device usage patterns.
And at WWDC 2018, Apple delivered, introducing multiple new tools built to address these issues head-on:
- Up first we have Screen Time, a new iOS tool that monitors device usage and can be configured to issue notifications when the screen has been on and active for specified amount of time. The utility also displays a graphic chart of daily and weekly usage patterns, and is designed primarily to give parents insight into (and the option to modify) their kid’s smartphone or tablet usage.
- Additionally, Apple released a feature dubbed Do Not Disturb at Bedtime. Similar to its in-car While Driving counterpart, Do Not Disturb at Bedtime is an iOS feature designed to briefly hide unread notifications in a separate screen where they cannot be viewed until such time you specify. Apple says the goal of the feature is to reduce iOS user’s stress and anxiety before bed by hiding their unread notifications until they are ready for them in the morning.