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Parental controls: Apple responds to investor plea

Just yesterday we brought you the news that two major shareholders had penned an open letter to Apple, asking the company to focus more on how kids use iPhones and iPads. Specifically, it asked Apple to put more effort into researching the effects of smart device overuse on children, and to develop better parental controls to help better manage children’s usage in the first place.

Apple has wasted no time in responding to the letter, releasing a statement promising that it has improved parental controls in the works already and will be rolling out new “features and enhancements” in the future.

“We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them. We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids.”

Though no specifics were mentioned in the report – and Apple may well be referring to features it already had planned rather than anything planned as a direct response to the open letter – it’s interesting to see the company responding so quickly and openly to this kind of unsolicited request.

It shows Apple is willing to listen to public opinion – albeit a slice of the public with $2 billion Apple shares – which is refreshing given its usual practice of quiet secrecy. Apple has been forthright about upcoming features recently, promising better battery health tracking in iOS to come very soon in response to the recent iPhone slowdown controversy.

Hopefully this is a sign that Apple is more willing than ever to listen and respond to its users.