Apple's Screen Time Controls for children have been malfunctioning for a long time. This should embolden the EU to mandate changes. It should enforce the development of excellent tools to help us control excessive use of technology, for children and adults alike.
I’ve spent no less than one hundred hours trying to make the Screen Time Controls on my kids' Apple devices work properly. They used to let me see how much time my children spent online and helped me set clear limits (max 2 hours of social media per day). But a year ago these controls stopped working altogether. I’ve tried resetting the phones, changing phones, and changing the software settings, all without success. Snapchat and YouTube are still available 24/7, while most other apps remain blocked. It’s like someone paid an Apple engineer to leave a vulnerability in the system, then whispered, "OK, the window is open now." Things may work for a little while after a full software reset. But then, the kids will suddenly stop nagging me about more screen time. “I just press this icon six or seven times and it gives me free access,” my teenager told me recently, not without glee.
None of Apple's staff know how to fix this bug. I have had dozens of calls with them. Thousands of complaints pile up on Apple’s fora, and nothing happens. Also, nobody at Apple Support has ever read The Wall Street Journal’s piece on the persistent Screen Time Bug. Rumors say the issues will be fixed in iOS18. We’ll see about that. Either way, there are few reasons to trust Apple in the future on this issue. Something must change.
When Screen Time Controls fail for months, parents will eventually give up. Unlimited scrolling becomes a problem for homework, sleep, and mental health. Who stands to benefit? The last five or six Apple iPhone launches were essentially about selling a better camera. Do you really need one, except for taking better-quality photos to share on social media? And if social media use benefits Apple, why restrict access with great Screen Time Controls?
France has introduced legislation requiring smartphones for children to have parental controls preinstalled. Would it be too radical to require that these controls also work? But to uphold the position as the company (seemingly) caring about kids’ safety, Apple only needs to be marginally better than their tracking-addicted competitor Google, who drives Android. It’s a broken duopoly.
We therefore need an EU Screen Time Protocol. It should dictate how Screen Time Controls must function, forcing not only Apple's hand, but also Google’s, Meta’s, Snap’s, Epic’s, Microsoft’s, Sony’s, and Samsung’s. When EU regulations are implemented, other countries tend to follow, as they did with GDPR. The new requirements should go further than simply making Screen Time Controls work again. To take back control of our device usage, adults and children would need, at the very least:
• A Universal Away Messaging function. Anyone who wants a break from technology should be able to leave a note saying, for example, “I will be away from my device for 2 hours, probably back at 4 pm.” The message should come through to anyone trying to reach them, regardless of whether they are using SMS, TikTok, Snapchat, or some other app, and regardless of what type of device they are on.
• A Universal Screen Time Application, reporting aggregate screen time across devices, apps, and operating systems.
• A framework allowing us to download our screen time data. It should also empower us to share screen time data with apps like sleep trackers. Apple currently blocks this option.
• A scroll meter that measures how many meters (or even kilometers) a child (or adult) has been scrolling during a day. For those under 18, we should reserve the top line of the display to provide visual feedback on their scrolling habits.
Sooner rather than later, the EU will have to address the dysfunctional Apple–Google duopoly. Enabling alternative app stores, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandates, will not be enough. The EU can make big software players offer their apps and services beyond the conventional hardware platforms. Essential apps like banking services, maps, messaging, and parking apps with more than a certain number of users should have to provide a third functional alternative beyond iOS and Android, either as a web app or as a light app suited for low-power devices. In time, other hardware platforms and operating systems could evolve, circumventing the current lock-in-of-apps by Google and Apple.
Following the logic of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a penalty of 6% of global turnover for failing to provide adequate (and working) safety and control features should ensure compliance.
The EU took on Apple’s lighting cable, favoring the universal use of USB-C. We have the EU's new AI Act. It’s time to write an EU Screen Time Protocol.
Apple wanted us to think they could be our digital babysitter. That babysitter now needs another babysitter. EU's Margrethe Vestager would nicely fit the bill.
iPhone OS 18 did not solve this problem. This bug allowed my young child to add fingerprint access which allowed him to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of In-App purchases from a new App totally in two days. He did not realize this was real money. Apple said no refunds. How many parents lost thousands of dollars due to this glitch over the years? How many multi-billions did these App makers and Apple profit because of the glitch which now I’m finding through various forums has been going on for years. Why is Apple not fixing this problem? Why is it impossible to get refunds made in error by young minors? Where is consumer protection?