Apple Pulls iPhone Billboard in Milan Over ‘Digital Babysitter’ Criticism, Replaces with ‘Find My’ Ad
Apple removed a controversial iPhone billboard in Milan, Italy, after it was accused of normalizing the use of digital devices as a ‘babysitter’ for young children. The ad showed a toddler holding a food-smeared iPhone with the text ‘Tutto ok, è iPhone’. It has been replaced by an ad for the ‘Find My’ feature.
Apple has removed a controversial iPhone billboard in Milan, Italy. The advertisement was accused of normalizing the ‘digital babysitter’ phenomenon, in which electronic devices are used to pacify children. The billboard depicted a young child holding an iPhone covered in food, accompanied by the Italian slogan ‘Tutto ok, è iPhone’ (Everything is fine, it’s an iPhone).
A citizen filed a complaint with the Italian children’s rights watchdog, the Authority for the Protection of Minors (AGIA), arguing that the ad normalized the use of smartphones as digital babysitters.
The billboard was part of Apple’s ‘Relax, it’s iPhone’ campaign, which highlights the device’s durability and resistance to dirt and damage. Other ads in the same series show a phone being used in the rain, a dog holding a phone in its mouth, and a phone placed on the edge of a bathtub. After recognizing the negative public perception, Apple decided to remove the ad. According to Italian media, it was replaced by a new billboard promoting the iPhone’s ‘Find My’ feature.