New York — Apple shareholders Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System are urging the smartphone maker to take steps to address what they say is a growing problem of young people getting addicted to Apple’s iPhones, Jana partner Charles Penner said. Jana, a leading activist shareholder, and CalSTRS, one of the US’s largest public pension plans, delivered a letter to Apple on Saturday asking the company to consider developing software that would allow parents to limit children’s phone use, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Sunday. Jana and CalSTRS also asked Apple to study the effect of excessive phone use on mental health, according to the publication. CalSTRS and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Jana and CalSTRS together control about $2bn worth of Apple shares, the Journal reports. The social rights issue is a new turn for Jana, which is known for pushing companies it invests in to make financial changes. However, the i...

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