Lauren Cowell risks becoming 'least popular mum' with son Eric's pals due to new playdate ban
Simon Cowell's partner Lauren Cowell has banned their 12-year-old son Eric and his friends from using smartphones when they have playdates and sleepovers at their home, in a bid to promote "more laughter, more conversation, better sleep and more genuine connection" between the youngsters.
Lauren Cowell has banned her 12-year-old son Eric and his friends from using smartphones when they have playdates and sleepovers.
The 48-year-old entrepreneur, who has Eric with her partner, music mogul Simon Cowell, 66, been actively campaigning for the UK government to raise the age of consent for social media users to 16 - which was recently given the green light - and she has now revealed some of her at-home boundaries around technology.
However, she risks becoming the "least popular mum" with Eric's friends.
She wrote on Instagram: "This has the potential to make me the least popular mum in my sons friendship group...
"Every family has different boundaries around technology and this is one that has made a real difference in ours."
Lauren has enforced such a ban in a bid to promote "more laughter, more conversation, better sleep and more genuine connection" between the youngsters.
She added: "When friends come for play dates or sleepovers we ask that smartphones stay away.
"Not because we are completely anti tech but because we have seen what happens when children are given the space to simply be children.
"More laughter, more conversation, better sleep and more genuine connection.
"I’d love to know would you try this in your family?"
Lauren is keen to make this "the new normal", insisting kids "don't need a smartphone to have fun".
She also wrote on Instagram: "No phones during playdates. No devices in bedrooms at sleepovers. Just kids being kids. What if we made this the new normal? The age limit may be changing but culture changes at home. Imagine the playdates once again meant riding bikes, playing football, swimming, baking, exploring outdoors, hanging out and talking.
"The surprising part, children don't need a smartphone to have fun. In fact when the phones disappear they start talking, creating, imagining, connecting. And somehow the hours seem to slow down. Nobody sits alone scrolling. They're busy making memories together."
Lauren and Simon - who doesn't own his own phone, after ditching his device eight years ago - have always banned their Eric from social media, and previously didn't allow him a phone.
Earlier this month, Lauren admitted Eric does now have a phone, but there is "nothing on it".
She explained: "We've been very strict with him about social media.
"In terms of having a phone, he does have … I guess you could call it a brick phone.
"It's a smartphone in the sense that it's like an Apple phone, but there's nothing on it. It's completely shut down.
"So he can text and WhatsApp, but that's it."
