How Sarah Michelle Geller Convinces Her Teens to Put Their Phones Away

Originally appeared on E! Online

You could say Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. are slaying parenthood.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star revealed how she and her husband of nearly 22 years place a lot of focus on spending quality time with their Scooby gang, including kids Charlotte, 14, and Rocky, 11.

"Dinners for me are really important," Gellar told E! News in an exclusive interview. "We're a food family, food friends, we love to cook."

And one thing that's never on the menu? "If we're all at home eating dinner together, there are no phones," the Do Revenge actress continued. "It's a moment of connection."

Gellar, who's partnered with UScellular for the Global Day of Unplugging March 1, has a whole tool kit of options for tech-free bonding for the whole family.

Prinze Jr., 47, loves painting miniature figurines and has made several videos on social media highlighting his projects. And the actress shared that she'll join in on the fun.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Through the Years

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"I actually will go paint with him," she admitted. "I love it. Mine aren't as good as his. I don't do it as often. I also love adult coloring books. Sometimes, I'll just go up to his office with him. We'll just paint and we'll talk and just chill."

But the couple will also find activities to do as a family.

"We play board games," the 46-year-old added. "I puzzle-overloaded during Covid so I had to take a little break from puzzles, but we do a lot of board games and card games."

And being able to unplug and enjoy that time together is, in part, due to the couple's boundaries surrounding technology for Charlotte and Rocky.

"We have all of the screen time limits on their phones, so they get whatever amount of time per day that we deem acceptable," Gellar explained. "And then it shuts off, and it's up to us to decide and say, ‘Hey, you've really been on it a lot. Go outside and go shoot some hoops or go see your friends across the streets.'"

As she put it, "The goal is that they will learn to self-regulate because they'll be used to thinking, ‘Okay, it's time to take a break.'"

As for social media, Gellar is prepared to have many conversations with her daughter as she navigates her teen years.

"I can't stop Charlotte, but I can teach her," she said. "I can teach her why not to look at that website, or not to believe everything that you see or maybe take a break from the Snap map."

But, the mother of two also noted that joining an extracurricular activity has been a saving grace for the teenager.

"I'm very fortunate," Gellar reflected. "My daughter is a competitive dancer. She dances five days a week. The girls are such a team, and they all support each other."

"I think having activities for these kids is really important because it does give them something outside where they're not on these devices," she stressed. "That's equally as important."

Of course, the gang does use their phones for good. After all, Gellar makes sure to keep fans up to date with sweet snaps of her family. Keep reading to see some of the couple's cutest pics.

Party of Four

Kiss Kiss

Halloween Hotties

Blissful

Ice Cream Cuddles

Wine Not?

Photo Booth Fun

Pretty in Pink

Sparks Will Fly

Ready, Set, Smile

Birthday Lovin'

Hearts Full

Red Hot

Beachin'

Proud as Can Be

Movie Night

Fight Club

Friends Forever

Cookin' Up Love

Baby on Board

Dirty 30

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Beach Babies

Sunsets Forever

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