Apple iPhone Controls Put Ridgewood Kids At Risk, Local Lawmaker Says

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A local congressman came to Ridgewood to "sound the alarm" about faulty Apple tech he says put local children at risk.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) came to the Ridgewood YMCA Monday to demand Apple CEO Tim Cook fix parental controls that local parents say gives them next to no control.

"Apple is dragging their feet on developing effective parental controls for their addictive products," Gottheimer said at the YMCA's new playground.

"Turning a profit cannot be more important than protecting our children."

Gottheimer has heard from constituents and found "countless complaints" online that Apple's parental controls limiting screen time and restricting web access have not been working properly.

The local lawmaker added that he and his wife had similar issues with the feature in setting limits for their two children.

"Thousands" of users of Apple products (such as iPhones) have written to the tech giant, noting "failures" with parental controls that set downtime, app limits and content restrictions on devices, the congressman said.

He pledged to send a letter to Apple this week demanding answers on when the alleged "glitches and loopholes" would be fixed.

He claimed Apple had confirmed to him and his team that the company was aware of said issues but that there is "no clear timeline" for when the problem(s) would be fixed.

"That's bananas," he said.

Apple did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

Gottheimer was joined by Ridgewood YMCA president and CEO Ramon Hache, educators and youth mental health professionals at Monday's conference.

"As a parent, I understand the importance of being able to have control over the things our children have exposure to," Hache said. "And that becomes increasingly difficult with the advent of social media and other technologies and platforms."

Hache expressed support for Gottheimer's push for legislation that would give him and other parents more control over what their children are exposed to, specifically on social media.

The congressman said he is working to introduce a bill that would "tackle crime stemming from social media and boost transparency and accountability of social media companies."

"It's time to give parents back the power," Gottheimer said.

He referenced data from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry showing that, on average, children ages 8 through 12 in the U.S. spend four to six hours a day watching or using screens, and that teens spend up to nine hours — "far in excess of what experts consider safe."

Another study from the same professional association, he cited, found that excessive screen time leads to sleep, weight and mood problems, lower grades in school, poor self- and body image, and reduced physical activity.

"Trust me, sometimes we'd love to take the smartphones, laptops, and tablets away from our kids for good, but it’s just not realistic," he said. "Kids today use these devices to do their homework, connect with their friends, and call their parents when they need help."

"It’s up to all of us to make sure the voices of millions of parents are heard because some tech companies can and must do better."