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The Paradox of Apple’s New “Screen Time” Feature
Digital detox is en vogue, but can we really trust the companies that make these addictive products to help us use their products less?
An increasingly popular trend among tech companies lately is introducing features that allow users to manage their time on the companies’ products. Facebook and Instagram are implementing the feature, and Apple introduced the feature in the recently-released iOS 12.
We’re just now catching up to the fact that our screens can be disruptive in everyday life, and tech companies have responded to this by giving us tools to manage our screen time, but here’s a question: Why do we trust the companies that make these products to help us use their products less?
Cellphone addiction often gets compared to cigarette addiction, so let me ask you this: Would you trust Marlboro to help you smoke less? Tobacco companies are still arguing that smoking cigarettes do not increase cancer risk, even though it’s now scientific consensus. Some even think smoking reduces the risk of cancer.
Morals and ethics aside, this makes a lot of sense, on the part of tobacco companies. Why would a business voluntarily do anything that could lead to consumers consuming their product less? People…
