Over the past year, Apple has removed or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen-time and parental-control apps
“It didn’t make managing these new digital threats any easier,” he said. “It actually made it more difficult.”
Apple’s tool has another shortcoming: It requires the whole family to own iPhones. Many apps removed by Apple allowed parents with iPhones to control their children’s Android devices.
Apple has also limited the options for adults who want to fight their own phone addiction. In August, it abruptly pulled down the Freedom app, which allowed users to temporarily disable certain apps and websites. Stutzman, Freedom’s chief executive, said that to return to iPhones, he was forced to stop blocking apps and to block sites only on Apple’s Safari browser.Last year, with much fanfare, Apple unveiled a screen-time tracker of its own. Then it quietly began purging competitors from its store. (Chris Gash/The New York Times)
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