Matthew McConaughey warned son about ‘traps’ of social media before allowing him to join on 15th birthday
Before letting his boy Levi to finally sign up to social media when he turned 15, Matthew McConaughey said he spent years agonising over the decision and had a long debate with his boy before he allowed him access.
Matthew McConaughey warned his son about the “traps” of social media before he allowed him access to it on the boy’s 15th birthday.
‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ actor, 53, had Levi with wife Camila Alves, 41, on 7 July 2008 and said he sat him down to explore the pitfalls of signing up to the likes of Instagram and X when they celebrated him turning 15.
The Oscar-winner told the ‘Today’ show about their chat: “Let’s talk about what it is. Let’s talk about the upfalls. Let’s talk about the downfalls. Let’s talk about the assets. Let’s talk about the traps.
“Let’s talk about what you wanna tell. What’s your story? Because what happens a lot of times with young people and social media is they wake up in the morning and the first thing on their mind is, ‘What will be a good post?’ Instead of, ‘What do I want to do today?’”
The actor also warned youngsters should pay more attention to their own lives before rushing to share everything on social platforms, and admitted Levi is still learning the ins and outs of the online world.
He said: “I mean, we’re still taking baby steps into, you know, how much he’s immediately in touch with it – what he’s exporting.
“And we’re going through, we’re measuring, we’re discussing things.
“We had him look at a lot of other people that he looked up to, their posts.
“We talked: ‘Why do you like those?’
“And then you saw certain people that had maybe more hits, and you go, ‘But why did they? Were they relevant for the right reasons? Were they relevant for reasons that actually spoke to being more of themselves, rather than acting like somebody else?’
“The discussion is ongoing.”
Dad-of-three Matthew, who also has daughter Vida, 13, and son Livingston, 10, with Camila, added he and his wife had been debating whether they would let Levi onto social media since he was 12.
The actor said: “He knows who he is, and he knows where he’s going. I think he can handle it. He’s got a great story to tell and share.
“Levi, enjoy the adventure, enjoying telling your story, expressing yourself and what you put out there and the exchange you get with people out there.”
Matthew and his wife introduced their son to the world on their own social media accounts after the boy’s 15th birthday.
The actor said in a joint Instagram video with Camila: “Happy birthday Levi Alves McConaughey.”
His wife asked her husband in the clip: “Can you believe it?”
He replied: “Fifteen years young. Hey, buddy, your mom is a little nervous today. One of the gifts we’re giving you, yes, we are allowing you today to join the social media universe.”
