Meghan Trainor shares two kids — Riley, 4, and Barry, 2 — with “Spy Kids” actor Daryl Sabara.
Robbie Williams is sharing his thoughts on one of the biggest debates when it comes to parenting in the digital age.
The 51-year-old dad of four, who was the lead singer of the boy band Take That and is a former judge on the British version of “The X Factor,” recently opened up about his strict no phones policy for his kids.
According to Williams, screen time for kids is a lot like abuse — in the form of a corrosive drug.
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“They don’t have phones,” he said of his kids in a 30-minute interview with ITV News, released Aug. 20. “They’re not going to have phones for as long as humanly possible.”
The “Angels” singer, who launched his solo career in 1996, shares four kids — daughters Theodora, 12, and Colette, 7, and sons Charlie, 10, and Beau, 5 — with wife Ayda Field, according to Cosmopolitan.
“They're gonna go, they are at school, 'Other people have phones, why can't I have a phone?'” he told ITV, to which he shared a one-word response.
“Tough,” he said of his policy. “That’s as simple as it is.”
According to a 2025 census by Common Sense Media, 40% of children today have a tablet by the age of two and roughly 25% of children have their own smartphone by the age of eight.
Screen time for kids “remains steady at about 2.5 hours per day,” the census concluded.
The report also confirmed that Williams’ isn’t the only parent who has an issue with phones for kids.
“Among parents, 75% to 80% express consistent concerns about screen media, including worries about excessive use, effects on mental health, and the amount of inappropriate content,” the report reads.
Robbie Williams doesn’t like the ‘corrosive nature’ of the internet today
As for why Williams avoids giving his kids a phone, the singer likened it to a corrosive drug.
“I can't deal with the corrosive nature of the Internet and things. It hurts me. It ruins my day,” he says of his own mental health struggles when surfing the internet.
"How can I give this drug to a 12-year-old? How can I give this drug to a seven-year-old? It's abuse,” he argued.
Robbie Williams and Ayda Field first met in 2006 and were engaged by 2009, according to Cosmopolitan. They married in 2011 and started building a family shortly after.
In a separate video of the interview, also released by ITV news, fans and parents alike took to the comment section to share their own thoughts on screen time for kids.
“He's right about teenagers and mobile phones. They don't really need a smart phone and they have a greater tendency to get addicted to it and depressed after using it,” one fan wrote under the video.
“I see mums giving one and two year olds a smart phone ‘to keep them quiet,’” another fan wrote. “Some of them learn to scroll and open apps before they can hold a pencil properly.”
Others argued that phones for kids is a necessity in today’s digital world.
“I would say in today’s world, yes I would give my children a phone,” one parent with older kids wrote.
“But I think they need a phone so they can contact you if need be,” the fan continued, “but deff a mobile that doesn’t have the internet, until they are of an age where they can understand.”
According to child development expert Amanda Gummer, phones can be dangerous for kids — but not if they’re well-managed.
"Phones can expose children to risks like online bullying, screen overuse, or inappropriate content before they're emotionally ready to handle it,” she said, per Hello! Magazine.
She also cited the addictive nature of phones and the risk of reducing social interaction.
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"If it's well-managed, and isn't connected to the Internet, a phone can support communication and independence,” she added. “The key is parental guidance and setting clear boundaries."
