• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish

3

Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish

3

Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
TechApple

What Apple Should Do About Kids Addicted to iPhones

By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 8, 2018, 9:10 AM ET

This article first appeared in Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. Sign up here.

Happy New Year.

I wish I could say we’re off to a good start, but I can’t. A president of the United States brags about the size of his button and publicly debates those who question his mental fitness. The head of the Federal Communications Commission makes an unpopular policy decision and then is forced to cancel an appearance at a major technology industry event due to death threats.

There’s more. Our computer chips are infected by bugs whose names would fit into the plotline of a James Bond movie. A trade war brews between today’s dominant technology player and tomorrow’s. The boss of Facebook promises for his annual personal project to “fix” Facebook; what appears to ail Facebook is that it works too well.

Everywhere, tech’s business is better than ever while its existential health worsens. Artificial intelligence roars while regular people worry if there’ll be work left for them to do. Emboldened municipalities are telling Waze and others to stop directing motorists down their once-peaceful streets. New York City mulls congestion pricing to deal with the explosion of ride-hailing vehicles.

And now comes word, via The Wall Street Journal, that two prominent investors want Apple to figure out a plan for prying loose iPhones from the solid grip of our addicted children. Apple apparently is unprepared for this one, though it shouldn’t be. That smartphones have altered our society—often in a bad way—has been brain-dead obvious for years. In an interview last year to celebrate Apple for positive contribution it has made to the world, I challenged Tim Cook to say what Apple was doing about the “bad social behavior” iPhones and iPads provoked, including “children who stare for too long into a screen.” Cook changed the subject, talking instead about Apple’s anti-distracted driving initiative and how the Apple Watch has a feature that reminds you to breathe.

Oh well, it’s better to have challenges than to think everything is solved, right?

***

Fortune kicks off a robust year of live events tonight in Las Vegas at CES, where I’ll interview Jensen Huang, CEO of chipmaker Nvidia, and Michal Lev-Ram hosts a panel with top executives from digital mapmaker HERE Technologies; Chinese search leader Baidu; and NIO, the Chinese car upstart.

We’ll also unveil two exciting additions to the programming leadership of Fortune Brainstorm Tech, our tech-conference franchise that convenes its annual meeting in Aspen this July. Leigh Gallagher, a veteran Fortune writer, editor, and conference co-chair, joins the team that currently includes Digital Editor Andrew Nusca, Lev-Ram, and me. Also, this year we are trying something new—adding a co-chair from the industry to help with planning, prep, and hosting. That co-chair needs no introduction: Marissa Mayer.

Welcome Marissa, and happy 2018 to all.

About the Author
By Adam Lashinsky
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Marc Benioff, chief executive officer of Salesforce
SuccessJobs
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says there’s one department still hiring: sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
4 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris says tech is ‘elevating’ workers,’ not replacing them—as IBM and Delta bosses make the same bet on humans
Successthe future of work
Costco CEO Ron Vachris says tech is ‘elevating’ workers,’ not replacing them—as IBM and Delta bosses make the same bet on humans
By Preston ForeMay 28, 2026
4 hours ago
Boos, AI-washing, and ‘low-value human capital’: The psychological traps CEOs are falling into when they botch their AI messaging
C-Suitechief executive officer (CEO)
Boos, AI-washing, and ‘low-value human capital’: The psychological traps CEOs are falling into when they botch their AI messaging
By Claire ZillmanMay 28, 2026
4 hours ago
Jan van Hövell built the world's largest sports club where membership is just a Euro a month.
SuccessSports
He left big law, became a DJ to pay his bills, and built sports clubs inside refugee camps. Now he wants more members than Bayern Munich
By Catherina GioinoMay 28, 2026
5 hours ago
g
CommentaryTraining
We gave our 5,000 employees a week to do nothing but learn AI. We learned the biggest blockers are human ones 
By Rob GiglioMay 28, 2026
8 hours ago
robot
CryptoRobots
This professor asked his robot clone about the future: ‘I think robots will coexist with people. Robots are the mirror of human beings’
By Yuri Kageyama and The Associated PressMay 28, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
7 days ago
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
Environment
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
By Dorany Pineda, Brittany Peterson and The Associated PressMay 27, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
Banking
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
By Nick LichtenbergMay 27, 2026
1 day ago
Even if every California billionaire left tomorrow, it would take 25 years for the state to lose as much as it stands to gain from proposed wealth tax
Economy
Even if every California billionaire left tomorrow, it would take 25 years for the state to lose as much as it stands to gain from proposed wealth tax
By Tristan BoveMay 27, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of May 27, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 27, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 27, 2026
1 day ago
Techlash grows in education: 'My daughter went to middle school and was sent home with a screen addiction in her backpack'
North America
Techlash grows in education: 'My daughter went to middle school and was sent home with a screen addiction in her backpack'
By Jocelyn Gecker and The Associated PressMay 26, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.