Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel has unexpected screen time rule for three kids
Topics: Snapchat, Parenting, Social Media
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg
Topics: Snapchat, Parenting, Social Media
Evan Spiegel, the founder of Snapchat, has a strict screen time rule for his and Miranda Kerr's three children.
You'd think the head honcho of a hugely successful social media company would be pretty lenient when it comes to screen time for his children, however, it seems as though Spiegel has a bit more of a different approach.
The founder has been married to the Victoria Secret model since 2017, and the couple share three sons together, Hart, 7, Myles, 6, and Pierre, 19 months.
Meanwhile, Kerr, who was previously married to actor Orlando Bloom, also shares a 14-year-old son Flynn with her ex-husband.
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According to Forbes, Snapchat has given Spiegel a net worth of around $2.5 billion dollars, with an estimate 432 million people using the platform each day, though today was a bit of a different story as the app was one of those struck in the massive internet outage this morning (October 20).
But likely because of his close proximity to the online world, Kerr said that her husband, 35, is 'very anti-screens', at least for his kids.
Speaking to E! News in a new episode of Dear Media's The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show, hosted by Michael Bosstick and Lauryn Bosstick, the 42-year-old said that it was largely because he was 'raised that way', however, the parents have managed to reach a compromise.
She said: "I’ve said to him, ‘Look, something that feels good to me is maybe on the weekend or a special occasion, curling up with the kids, [the] 6 and 7-year-old and the teenager if he wants to join in, and snuggling up and watching a movie.
"And he's like, 'OK, but not every weekend'.”
According to Kerr, that's the 'extent of the screentime', however, Hart did a learning programme over the holidays, so there's some exception to the rule.
Flynn, on the other hand, uses Snapchat as it's the 'only way he communicates with his friends', as the Australian model added: "They don’t really text. They just Snap each other all day long."
However, Kerr went on to say that she still has parental controls on her son's phone and she praised Snapchat for its features, such as the 'Family Center'.
She continued: "You watch it [The Keys] with them, and it explains very simply what could go wrong or how to prevent it and when to reach out to someone if you feel like something’s off. That’s the way we do it at our house."
Both Spiegel and Kerr have spoken about the importance of internet safety, as the CEO told People last month that while he has seen 'firsthand the incredible ways that technology can help people stay connected', there's also risks 'that come with being online, across all platforms'.
It was these risks that made Spiegel decide to create The Keys, which is an online safety programme for teens and families to become educated on how to safely navigate the internet.
"It's designed to give teens and families a simple, accessible way to build healthier digital habits together," he said. "For us, it's already helped provide a framework to learn and talk about online safety in a way that feels real and relevant."