At WWDC21, Apple announced an improved Apple Maps experience.
As an adult, I get a lot of use out of Apple Maps on my iPhone, and I do see the personal value of making it better.
However, I do wonder if evermore smartphone technology is a net good for teenagers. Sure, Apple does make it easier and more efficient for little Johnny or little Sally to get to their soccer game, but is it the end of the world for a teenager to occasionally get lost?
I mean, between GPS-driven location finding (where you always know exactly where you are) and text messaging and FaceTime and phone calls and social media and the myriad of other communication apps, is a smartphone—especially for teenagers—a tool that enables more freedom or simply just a digital nanny-leash?
And, if it is the latter, what does growing up on a leash mean for these leashed-up teenagers when they hit adulthood? How will this affect their self-reliance, their character, and their judgment?