Kelly Clarkson Says Her Kids Cannot “Ever Have” Social Media While Living With Her

Hilary Lewis
·4 min read
26
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Kelly Clarkson’s kids won’t be allowed to “ever have” social media while they’re living with her.

Speaking to People, the singer and host of the eponymous syndicated daytime talk show, said that though her two children, whom she shares with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, are still young, “I have informed them they’re not allowed to, under my roof, ever have [social media].”

More from The Hollywood Reporter

She argues that being on platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok “can be really hard on kids in general but especially kids with parents in the public eye.”

And she’s sticking to the rules even if Blackstock bends them.

“My daughter was like, ‘Well, what if Dad lets me?’ I’m like, ‘Well, you’re there four days a month. Enjoy that.’ And right now he’s not letting them do it either,” Clarkson told People. “I’ll listen when they’re older, but until they have a solid argument, it’s a no.”

Clarkson’s comments echo those made by Jennifer Garner last spring when she explained why she’s kept her children off social media.

“I just said to my kids, ‘Show me the articles that prove that social media is good for teenagers, and then we’ll have the conversation,'” Garner said during an appearance on the Today show. “Find scientific evidence that matches what I have that says that it’s not good for teenagers, then we’ll chat.”

As for how her kids feel about this, Garner said, “My eldest is grateful. It’s a long haul. I have a couple more to go, so just knock on wood. We’ll see if I really hang in there.”

Matthew McConaughey similarly opened up about being concerned about giving his son, Levi, access to social media. McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, announced that he was able to join Instagram on his 15th birthday over the summer.

Speaking about the decision, McConaughey told People that he and his wife “thought [Levi] was ready.” And the actor indicated that they had spent time discussing pros and cons and had let Levi shadow his parents.

“After two to three years of talking about the pitfalls and the upfalls and the downfalls, and him shadowing me on my IGs and his mother on hers and picking out people that he looked up to and talking to them about it, we felt he’s got enough information and is mature enough to tell his own story,” McConaughey said.

While how social media use affects teens’ mental health is a hot-button topic, the American Psychological Association stated this past May that “using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people.” A 2023 advisory from the U.S. surgeon general went a bit further saying that based on current evidence, “we cannot conclude social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.”

But the advisory conceded there are “gaps in our full understanding of the mental health impacts posed by social media.”

The APA added, “Adolescents’ lives online both reflect and impact their offline lives. In most cases, the effects of social media are dependent on adolescents’ own personal and psychological characteristics and social circumstances—intersecting with the specific content, features, or functions that are afforded within many social media platforms. In other words, the effects of social media likely depend on what teens can do and see online.”

The surgeon general’s advisory pointed to a 2019 study that found that children and adolescents that spent more than three hours a day on social media, the average time teens spend on social media according to another study, face double the risk of mental health problems, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The APA and surgeon general have offered recommendations to better mitigate the risk of harm from social media exposure.

“Age-appropriate use of social media should be based on each adolescent’s level of maturity (e.g., self-regulation skills, intellectual development, comprehension of risks) and home environment,” the APA states. “Because adolescents mature at different rates, and because there are no data available to indicate that children become unaffected by the potential risks and opportunities posed by social media usage at a specific age, research is in development to specify a single time or age point for many of these recommendations. In general, potential risks are likely to be greater in early adolescence — a period of greater biological, social and psychological transitions — than in late adolescence and early adulthood.”

Best of The Hollywood Reporter