The royal family may have varied opinions and support different causes, but they seem to agree on one major parenting choice: they are all trying to avoid screen time and social media access for their children.
In a recent interview with The Times, Lady Frederick Windsor spoke out on the issue. “So many teenagers are going through hell at the moment because of grown-ups being morons and not banning all this crap,” she enthusiastically declared. “It’s really quite depressing.”
Sophie Winkleman–as she is professionally and socially known–continues to question government leaders and decision makers, as they ignore evidence from researchers and doctors on the subject. Speaking about smartphones and ed-tech, she shares that “[the experts] are seeing so many bad effects from too much screen use: eyesight issues, hormone disruption, sleep imbalance, posture deformation.”
Sophie Winkleman is photographed with members of the royal family on Easter Sunday.
Sophie Winkleman attends Royal Ascot with the King and Queen.
Lady Frederick Windsor may be the most outspoken member of the royal family on this issue, but she certainly isn’t the only one with these concerns. The Prince of Wales recently revealed that screentime is “a little bit of a tense issue” in his household, as well.
“Our children don’t have phones.” Prince William said in a recent interview. “I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access.” Prince George will be getting a ‘brick phone,’ which can’t access the internet or download social media apps. “But I think he understands why, we communicate why we don’t think it’s right. [...] I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online.”
Prince William stands on the Buckingham Palace balcony with children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Prince William says Prince George will get a "brick phone" when he starts secondary school.
The Prince of Wales has been openly critical of social media companies and their responsibilities. In a speech given at the BBC in 2018, he pressed that companies “have done more to connect the world than has ever been achieved in human history. Surely you can connect with each other about smart ways to deal with the unintended consequences of these connections.”
"You can reject the false choice of profits over values. You can choose to do good and be successful," the prince implored.
The Princess of Wales has also raised concerns about the "epidemic of disconnection" brought on by screens at home. "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," the princess wrote in an essay for the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood. "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," she said, explaining that smartphones and screens have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales spend precious family time at home with their children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex share concerns over the power of social media, and choose to keep Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet offline. "Life is better off social media," he told BBC Breakfast in April 2025, saying he was "grateful" that he doesn’t need to worry about the issue for Archie and Lili just yet. "We want to make sure that things are changed so that no more kids are lost to social media,” he continued.
The Duchess of Sussex, added that "one thing we can all agree on is that children should be safe.” On the issue of social media bullying, she continued by saying "I think in many ways what we see [...] is the hope and the promise of something better, because they just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else.”
The Duchess of Sussex hopes for "the promise of something better" for her children.
Prince Harry is "grateful" his children aren't old enough for social media.
Sophie Winkleman will continue to use her platform to campaign against smartphones, ed-tech, and unnecessary screens for children. “Silicon Valley guys send their children to schools where the tech use is unbelievably moderate because they know how addictive this stuff is, and yet we’re lapping it all up like idiots.”
Looks like we won’t see a Royal Kids WhatsApp group anytime soon.
