Apple supplier Foxconn says it has stopped interns from working illegal overtime at its factory in China, after reports emerged that at least six students worked eleven-hour days on iPhone X production lines.

Today's announcement follows a Financial Times report earlier this week that revealed around 3,000 students worked at its iPhone X assembly plant in Zhengzhou, as the firm struggles to catch up with demand for the smartphone after production delays.

foxconn iphone production

A worker assembles iPhones in a Foxconn factory

Apple on Tuesday said an audit had confirmed "instances" of student interns working overtime at the supplier facility in Henan province, and both Apple and Foxconn said they would take remedial action to stop the practice, which breaches Chinese laws preventing children from working more than 40 hours per week.

"Apple is dedicated to ensuring everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve," the tech giant said today in a statement given to the BBC. "We know our work is never done and we'll continue to do all we can to make a positive impact and protect workers in our supply chain."

Foxconn, which operates the intern program, told the BBC in a statement that it had taken "immediate action to ensure that no interns are carrying out any overtime work". It added that "interns represent a very small percentage" of its workforce in China and that the breach of labour laws was inconsistent with its own policies.

Foxconn is thought to hire large numbers of seasonal workers each year to assemble the latest iPhone models in time for the busy holiday shopping season. The FT report, citing an anonymous Foxconn employee, said there can be up to 20,000 workers producing up to 300,000 iPhones per day. However, this year it appears the manufacturer has found it particularly challenging to keep up with demand for the iPhone X, which Apple has described as being "off the charts".

As per its supplier responsibility efforts, Apple requires manufacturing partners like Foxconn to limit working hours to no more than 60 hours a week, with a mandatory rest day once every seven days.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Foxconn
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

gnasher729 Avatar
105 months ago
I think some common sense is needed here. There were no children involved. In the UK, for employment someone under 14 is a child and not allowed to work. Someone below school leaving age is allowed to do light work. Someone above school leaving age but below 18 is allowed to work 40 hours a week. At 18, that person is an adult and there are no limits on work time except for EU law. On the other hand, the UK is a country that allows ****** "zero-hour contracts", in other words, you never know how many hours you will work and how much money you will be paid in any week. It might be zero - that's what "zero hours" means. Try to live with that.

The people that we are talking about here are 17 to 19 years old. So the 18 and 19 years old are legally allowed to work overtime. There is an agreement between Apple and Foxconn that interns are not allowed to work overtime. If an 18 or 19 year old intern works overtime, that's in breach of their agreement, but not illegal.

And a 17 year old? They were offered overtime - which shouldn't have happened. The voluntarily accepted that offer, worked overtime, and got paid for it. Compare that to the USA, where companies _love_ to declare their employees as exempt, which means in practice unvoluntary and unpaid overtime. Many employees in the USA would be only to happy if their boss had to ask them if they want to do overtime and they could say "no", and if their boss then had to pay for that overtime.

They only acted when they got found out. Thank heavens for investigative journalists.
Well, they got found out because Apple performs regular audits, and some eagle eyed auditor paid by Apple or Foxconn spotted that some interns did overtime. No investigative journalist involved in this.

What makes this sweatshop labor situation even more disgusting is that it is intentionally ignored by Apple's SJW CEO Tim Cook who simultaneously engages in constant virtue signaling.
Yes, Apple's CEO, who is ordering and paying for the audits and then reporting when something wrong is found, is obviously intentionally ignoring this. Without Apple's audits, you wouldn't have heard of this.

maybe apple should re-evaluate foxconn. it’s frustrating these reports keep surfacing.
These reports keep surfacing because Apple performs audits and publishes the results. Foxconn has over a million employees. If these six are the only problematic cases, then Foxconn is a shining example that many, many employers should try to follow.

This would never happen in the USA.
Do you actually believe this? Seriously? In the USA, where in most places an employee can be fired on the spot because the boss doesn't like his face, this isn't happening? Look at this report: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/fair-dismissal-for-refusal-to-work-christmas-overtime/ Apparently, in the USA you don't have the right to refuse overtime.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
105 months ago
How benevolent of Foxconn. They only stopped it when they got busted.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThomasJL Avatar
105 months ago
What makes this sweatshop labor situation even more disgusting is that it is intentionally ignored by Apple's SJW CEO Tim Cook who simultaneously engages in constant virtue signaling.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roberthodgson Avatar
105 months ago
“said there can be up to 300,000 workers producing up to 20,000 iPhones per day.”
I think you reversed the numers at 20,000 phones per day Apple would be backordered for years
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPhysicist Avatar
105 months ago
That’s the spirit! You can achieve everything in life if you work hard enough. That’s how you get this iPhone X backlog down to zero within weeks. Thank you Chinese students for your service! Thank you.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nxent Avatar
105 months ago
maybe apple should re-evaluate foxconn. it’s frustrating these reports keep surfacing.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Sad Siri Feature

Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays

Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today. Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Cyber Week Deals 2025

Best Cyber Week Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Week is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
studio display purple february

M5 iPad Pro Could Hint at New Studio Display Feature

Sunday November 30, 2025 10:30 am PST by
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026. Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...