Despite building an increasingly screen-focused world, billionaire tech leaders are keeping their own children away from the tech they helped create.
As far back as 2010, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs told a New York Times reporter his kids had never used an iPad and that, “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”
Since then, the trend of Silicon Valley billionaires keeping their families away from technology has become even more pronounced, thanks in part to the rise of social media and short-form video.
At the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, early Facebook investor and billionaire Peter Thiel joined Chen among the ranks of tech leaders who are setting strict limits on screens. Thiel said he only lets his two young children use screens for an hour-and-a-half per week, a revelation that prompted audible gasps from the audience.
Other tech CEOs, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Snap’s Evan Spiegel, and Tesla’s Elon Musk, have also spoken about limiting their children’s access to devices. Gates has said he did not give his children smartphones until age 14 and banned phones at the dinner table entirely. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, in 2018, said he limits his child to the same 1.5 hours per week of screen time as Thiel. And finally, Musk, who bought the social media company X, formerly Twitter, in 2022, said it “might’ve been a mistake” to not set any rules on social media for his children.
Yet, as the trials against social media companies continue and country after country moves toward legislating what Silicon Valley’s billionaires have quietly practiced for years, the private behavior of the world’s most powerful tech figures stands in contrast to what they’re promoting and building
I have to admit, I’ve gone sort of retro-tech with my kids in the main. Wii over Xbox or PS5, DS-lite over Switches, OLPC over chromebook etc. Social media - ha ha, no chance :)
My eldest asked for a phone, so I gave her my old flipfone. She loves it (and I kinda want it back now, lol).
The HMD Nokia branded Barbie phones with KaiOS is what I’ve promised to get her when she’s earned it. That’s a dumbphone with some smart features…and as bonus, I can probably (with enough effort) create some apps for her directly (KaiOS is basically Firefox OS in a container, which even my dumb-ass can probably grok with some effort)
I give them access to my tablets…but the tablets have kid mode (app lock) and are hardened with firewall, pi-hole, app timers and curated content (eg: Smart-tube with ONLY the channels I select as safe being visible, no click thrus, comment section blocked etc. ABC kids. Jellyfin pointing to ONLY kids stuff etc etc). I know this is a technical solution to a behavioral problem. OTOH as much as I would LOVE to just yeet all this shit into the sun, the realistic position is kids need to know how to use tech. I even leave little breadcrumbs for my eldest to try and “hack” my systems so she can get access to “hidden” software (which, matrix-in-matrix style, I’ve allowed her access to. Don’t give SUDO equivalent to an 8yr old…once bitten, twice shy. I could tell you a recent horror story that would curl your hair)
Anyway…it’s not 1983 any more (sadly, in some ways), But I have observed that by curating content like this it FEELS like the kids are interacting with tech like we did back in the day; morning cartoons are once again morning cartoons and not a chance for MrBeast to invite my 8yr old to “comment, like and subscribe”.
My eldest has ASD and I’ve noticed these small tweaks have had significant improvements on her behaviour / media consumption patterns (eg: she will get bored of media now and self regulate away from it…and…gasp…play).
I dunno man. I’m trying out here. Shit ain’t easy. Too many plates spinning, not enough hands, and father time is a motherfucker. I’m tired, boss.