Kate Winslet is the mother of three children, her oldest being a 15-year-old girl named Mia. Kate has been vocal about wanting to shield Mia from much of the bullshit she went through during her own teenage years in terms of body image issues and the like, and one of the ways she’s going about that is by banning social media from their house altogether.
From The Sunday Times (via US Weekly):
When a young girl shares a selfie, “she’s thinking about what some other person thinks who she doesn’t even know,” the Titanic alum shared.
“[This has] a huge impact on young women’s self-esteem because all they will ever do is design themselves for people to like them,” she explained. “And what comes with that? Eating disorders.”
Besides that, Winslet told the Times, apps like Instagram compel you to exploit your own private experiences for public approval. “The second you share that memory, that’s not your memory anymore,” the actress said of why she denied daughter Mia, 15, access to the photo-sharing site. “You’ve given it away.”
For those reasons, among others, the British star limits Internet time at home and tries to emphasize the importance of real human interaction. “You have to stay in touch with your kids,” she said, noting the usefulness of parental controls.
There are benefits to the web, of course, and Winslet acknowledges that it can be “an incredibly powerful educational resource.” But she worries it’s being “completely abused” in this tech-driven age.
“I think parents are losing control,” she stated. “Especially if they’re busy parents. It’s really hard to keep your finger on the pulse.”
What do you think? Is Kate a total buzzkill or is she the coolest possible mum there is, even if her kids don’t realize it until, like, 15 years down the line? It’s difficult to say, in my opinion. On the one hand, I think social media is an absolute disaster and I’m really glad it didn’t exist when I was a teenager. On the other hand, it’s difficult to keep your kids from taking part of a massive cultural trend that likely all of their friends are part of without making them feel alienated. Of course, just because other kids are doing it doesn’t make it a good thing, just something to think about!
She can get much worse from classmates in school. There was no social media when Kate was 15, so who did it to her then?
Good for you kate!!! Hell of a woman
There is a meaning to what she says ,my perception is that teen agers should be guided to be matured humans ! U CAN DO WHATEVER U LIKE after that period of upbringing . Nothing is as Powerful as Freedom BUT it is a Double Edged Sword.