WEBVTT 00:02.100 --> 00:05.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Smartphones have surely changed the way we live, including the way kids interact 00:05.533 --> 00:09.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% with and use that technology every day. 00:09.000 --> 00:12.133 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% There are growing concerns about what that is doing to kids. 00:12.133 --> 00:15.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And that is the focus that John Yang has for us tonight. 00:15.366 --> 00:17.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% It's part of our weekly segment, Making the Grade. 00:17.766 --> 00:22.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Judy, earlier this month, two big shareholders in Apple jumped into this debate. 00:25.333 --> 00:28.533 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% Together, JANA Partners, an investment management firm, and the California State Teachers Retirement 00:29.900 --> 00:33.133 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% System own about $2 billion worth of Apple stock. 00:33.133 --> 00:37.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% They called on the iPhone maker to come up with ways for parents to restrict the amount 00:37.333 --> 00:42.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% of time children spend on iPhones and to study the effect heavy usage has on kids' mental 00:42.866 --> 00:45.366 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% health. 00:45.366 --> 00:48.866 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% To discuss this, we're joined by Charles Penner, a partner at JANA Partners, and by Jean Twenge, 00:51.366 --> 00:54.933 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% a San Diego State University psychology professor and the author of "iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected 00:56.900 --> 01:01.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy, and Completely Unprepared 01:02.433 --> 01:03.666 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% for Adulthood." 01:03.666 --> 01:05.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Thanks to you both for joining us. 01:05.666 --> 01:08.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Dr. Twenge, let me begin with you. 01:08.466 --> 01:13.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% I think I know the answer from what -- from the title of your book, but what can you tell 01:13.033 --> 01:17.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% us about what the research says about kids and iPhones? 01:17.766 --> 01:22.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JEAN TWENGE, Author, "iGen": So, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence 01:23.500 --> 01:25.200 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% with smartphones. 01:25.200 --> 01:28.633 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% And that's had ripple effects across many areas of their lives. 01:28.633 --> 01:31.133 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And one place that's showing up is in their mental health. 01:31.133 --> 01:36.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, right around 2012, in these big samples of teens, there was a sudden and pretty large 01:38.133 --> 01:43.000 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% jump in symptoms of depression and anxiety and even clinical-level depression and suicide 01:45.533 --> 01:48.300 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% among teens. 01:48.300 --> 01:52.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And that happened right at the same time that smartphones became common. 01:52.400 --> 01:57.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, there's also lots of studies showing links between mental health issues and time spent 01:58.600 --> 02:01.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% on electronic devices, such as smartphones. 02:01.400 --> 02:06.400 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% So, for example, teens who spend five or more hours a day on electronic devices are 71 percent 02:08.833 --> 02:13.700 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% more likely to have at least one risk factor for suicide compared to teens who spend less 02:13.700 --> 02:15.666 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% than an hour a day. 02:15.666 --> 02:19.866 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: And what makes smartphones different from, say, television or video games? 02:21.300 --> 02:25.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% JEAN TWENGE: Well, smartphones can be carried into the bedroom. 02:25.433 --> 02:26.933 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% They're more portable. 02:26.933 --> 02:30.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So, they may interfere with sleep. 02:30.400 --> 02:34.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And, sure enough, the percentage of teens who don't sleep enough also spiked right around 02:34.766 --> 02:36.233 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% 2012. 02:36.233 --> 02:38.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And that's a major risk factor for mental health issues. 02:38.433 --> 02:41.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% They can also be carried out of the house wherever you go. 02:41.700 --> 02:46.700 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So that means that teens are often spending lots of time on those devices even when they 02:47.866 --> 02:50.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% are with their friends in person. 02:50.200 --> 02:54.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, with that said, of course, TV and video games are also linked to mental health issues, 02:54.233 --> 02:59.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% but the link isn't quite as strong as it is for smartphones and for social media. 03:01.133 --> 03:04.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: And I know you have said there are some beneficial aspects to smartphone 03:04.933 --> 03:06.233 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% use by kids. 03:06.233 --> 03:07.733 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Is there sort of a sweet spot? 03:07.733 --> 03:10.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% How much is too much time on an iPhone? 03:10.500 --> 03:12.533 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% JEAN TWENGE: Yes, that's right. 03:12.533 --> 03:17.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, teens who don't use digital media at all or don't use smartphones at all are actually 03:18.866 --> 03:21.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% a little less well adjusted than teens who use them a little bit. 03:21.433 --> 03:26.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So the sweet spot seems to be from less than an hour to an hour or so of use a day. 03:28.366 --> 03:32.366 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And it's two -- it's more than two hours, so three hours of use and beyond per day, 03:32.366 --> 03:37.366 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% that is linked to that considerably higher risk of depression and other mental health 03:37.833 --> 03:39.333 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% issues. 03:39.333 --> 03:41.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% JOHN YANG: Mr. Penner, let me -- I want to bring you into this. 03:41.033 --> 03:43.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% What sparked this letter to Apple? 03:43.866 --> 03:48.866 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% And we think of activist shareholders as talking about management changes and direction of 03:49.466 --> 03:50.400 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% business. 03:50.400 --> 03:52.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% What sparked this letter? 03:52.466 --> 03:53.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% CHARLES PENNER, JANA Partners: We think Apple is a really responsible company, a really 03:53.400 --> 03:55.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% innovative company. 03:55.066 --> 03:57.266 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% And I think a testament to that is how quickly we reacted to this. 03:57.266 --> 04:02.266 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% But we did see an opportunity for them to both get out ahead of what we saw as potentially 04:02.266 --> 04:07.266 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% a developing issue and, quite frankly, burnish their brand with customers by offering parents 04:09.333 --> 04:13.000 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% optional controls, but better controls that are more robust, in their words, more dynamic, 04:13.000 --> 04:16.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% as Professor Twenge has been talking about, and really kind of respond to the research. 04:16.433 --> 04:18.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% JOHN YANG: You talked about Apple's response. 04:18.533 --> 04:22.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% In their statement, they said that they are always looking out for kids, but they focused 04:22.733 --> 04:27.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% on restricting downloading apps and material, reaching material online, accessing material 04:29.666 --> 04:32.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% online, not limiting the amount of time on it. 04:32.666 --> 04:34.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Are you satisfied with that response? 04:34.333 --> 04:37.333 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% CHARLES PENNER: Well, look, it was certainly a great first response. 04:37.333 --> 04:38.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And we didn't expect anything different. 04:38.966 --> 04:41.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% They're a very socially responsible company. 04:41.700 --> 04:46.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% I think the next step will be to, as we said, kind of take the experts, you know, Professor 04:46.433 --> 04:51.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Twenge, other people we have worked with, including Dr. Michael Rich at Harvard and 04:53.433 --> 04:56.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Boston Children's Hospital and a ton of other people who are experts on this issue, and 04:56.400 --> 05:01.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% even more broadly just child development experts, you know, sit in a room with them, broaden 05:03.833 --> 05:06.533 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% the discussion beyond just kind of the engineers and the business folks and the design team, 05:08.933 --> 05:12.433 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% and really kind of redesign the controls from the ground up to be dynamic, to be age-appropriate. 05:14.466 --> 05:17.833 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% You know, as I think Professor Twenge has maybe mentioned in other contexts, the research 05:19.933 --> 05:24.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% shows that even for the most worrisome aspects, like social media usage, the effects start 05:24.533 --> 05:26.600 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% to taper off the older you get. 05:26.600 --> 05:31.300 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, you know, really kind of look at all the research and execute on what they have said 05:31.300 --> 05:33.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% they're going to do, which is offer more robust controls. 05:33.566 --> 05:36.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And we don't have any reason to think that they won't. 05:36.033 --> 05:40.833 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JOHN YANG: Jean Twenge, what kind of controls would you want to see iPhone -- or Apple develop? 05:40.833 --> 05:42.833 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% JEAN TWENGE: Yes. 05:42.833 --> 05:47.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Well, both based on the research and, as a parent of three iGeners, I have my wish list. 05:49.666 --> 05:54.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, one would be some kind of way to shut down the phone at a certain time, say, an 05:56.033 --> 06:00.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% hour before bedtime, and then there's not the temptation to be on it right before bed, 06:00.233 --> 06:03.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% which isn't conducive to good sleep, or in the middle of the night, which is what some 06:03.133 --> 06:05.166 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% teens do. 06:05.166 --> 06:09.833 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Second would be to limit the overall time in a day that that phone could be used, say, 06:10.733 --> 06:12.833 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% to two hours a day. 06:12.833 --> 06:17.200 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And then the third would be, instead of being able to just turn on and off certain apps, 06:17.200 --> 06:22.200 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% that there would be the capability to have certain apps be only used for a certain amount 06:24.100 --> 06:26.066 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% of time per day. 06:26.066 --> 06:30.466 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, for example, you could say, OK, you can be on Snapchat, but only for an hour a day 06:31.200 --> 06:33.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% or a half-hour a day. 06:33.233 --> 06:36.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Well, Jean Twenge and Charles Penner, I'm afraid our time is up here, but thanks 06:36.600 --> 06:37.866 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% so much for joining us. 06:37.866 --> 06:39.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% CHARLES PENNER: Thank you. 06:39.100 --> 06:39.266 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% JEAN TWENGE: Thank you.