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Lauren Silvermans Fear Over Sons Snapchat Use

Lauren Silverman has spoken of the reason why she backtracked on her strict no-phone rule for her son Eric, 12. The mother-of-two, 48, and Simon, 66, had been f...

Bintano News

April 14, 2026

has spoken of the reason why she backtracked on her strict no-phone rule for her son Eric, 12.

The mother-of-two, 48, and Simon, 66, had been fiercely against Eric having a phone, but they had to rethink their stance after discovering he had downloaded - a multimedia messaging app - on Lauren's phone.

Simon hasn't owned a phone for eight years and previously said the change had 'absolutely made me happier'.

In a new interview, Lauren explained the boundaries she has put in place for Eric as she joined the campaign for the government raise the minimum age of children accessing social media to 16 years old.

Talking about her own experience, Lauren told The Mirror: 'He would always take my phone to put music on in the car, and obviously, I’m driving so I can’t look at what he’s doing. I knew nothing about it, and how it actually worked.

Lauren said she became 'really freaked out' as she learnt Eric had been using Snapchat secretly.

Lauren Silverman has spoken of the reason why she backtracked on her strict no-phone rule for son Eric, 12. The mother-of-two, 48, and Simon, 66, had to rethink their stance

She continued: 'Social media has been something that has been a nagging fear for both me and Simon for a long time. It’s why we held off before giving Eric a phone.'

Eventually the couple decided to give Eric a phone but lay out strict ground rules.

Lauren said: 'We’ve got Eric a phone, but there is no social media on it. He’s not allowed on any apps, on any social media. He doesn’t have Snapchat. I’ve now removed everything, so he literally can text and WhatsApp his friends.'

The socialite said she is part of Eric's group chats so she can oversee them but doesn't participate in the conversation.

Lauren added Eric isn't bothered about being on social media but when confronted about secretly using Snapchat told her he just wanted to talk to his friends.

She has since joined the Raise The Age campaign and invited Ellen Roome over to talk about the petition to have safer laws for children using social media.

Ellen blames social media for the death of her teenage son. The heartbroken mother has warned the UK is at risk of falling behind in legislating against social media harms, calling on the government to act now rather than wait for more children to be harmed.

On Wednesday, the House Of Commons is scheduled to vote on the proposal to ban social media for children under the age of 16.

Lauren explained the boundaries she has put in place for Eric as she joined the campaign for the government raise the minimum age of children accessing social media to 16 years old

She has since joined the Raise The Age campaign and invited Ellen Roome over to talk about the petition to have safer laws for children using social media

She wrote at the time: 'For a long time Simon and I were very firm about one thing, no phone for Eric. (Simon himself hasn’t had a phone for nearly 8 years!).

'But recently Eric had a very honest conversation with us about it that made us rethink our position slightly.

'He now has a phone with some very clear boundaries. The main one being, no social media. Just texting and calling friends and family.'

In a slideshow of pictures, Lauren explained further: 'I changed my mind about my 12-year-old son having a phone...

'But I still said no to social media. Whether we like it or not, texting has become a part of childhood.

'Plans are made there. Jokes are shared there. Friendships often happen there and at some point kids start feeling like they are the only one not in the conversation.

'For a long time I was very clear, no phone.'

Lauren said she believed the longer herself and Simon could delay giving a smartphone to Eric, the better.

But everything changed when she discovered her son had been secretly messaging his friends on Snapchat off her phone.

She said: 'That moment really made me stop and think about what the right approach should be.

'Instead of turning it into a battle, we talked. What he told me was actually very simple. He didn't care about social media. He just wanted to be able to text and call his friends.'

Lauren said they came to a compromise where Eric could have a phone for texting and calling but isn't allowed Snapchat or social media.

She added: 'The reason I am holding that boundary is because social media is a completely different worlds.

'The pressure. The comparison. The toxicity. For our family, this is something we are waiting for for now.'

Lauren went on to tell the strict rules she has in place - no phones in Eric's bedroom, at the dinner table or during family time.

She concluded: 'Technology should never replace real life.'

Simon gave up having a phone back in 2018.

At the time, the television mogul revealed he had become so distracted and irritated by his phone that he made himself uncontactable for the sake of his mental health and happiness.

He told The Mail on Sunday: 'I literally have not been on my phone.

'The difference it made was that I became more aware of the people around me and way more focused.

'The thing I get irritated with is when you have a meeting everyone's on their phone – and I was probably in that place too. You can't concentrate.

'It has been so good for my mental health. It's a very strange experience but it really is good for you and it has absolutely made me happier.'

Lauren Silvermans Fear Over Sons Snapchat Use

She wrote at the time: 'For a long time Simon and I were very firm about one thing, no phone for Eric. (Simon himself hasn’t had a phone for nearly 8 years!).

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