Royals
Princess Kate Warns Parents: Don’t Be ‘Physically Present but Mentally Absent’ With Your Kids
As many parents know, limiting children’s screen time is easier said than done. But, in a brand-new essay, Princess Kate is urging moms and dads to take a hard look at their own scrolling habits.
Per the Daily Mail, in a powerful new essay co-authored with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger, The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World, Kate warns that smartphones and social media are fueling an “epidemic of disconnection” threatening the emotional health of families.
“Our smartphones, tablets and computers have become sources of constant distraction, fragmenting our focus and preventing us from giving others the undivided attention that relationships require,” reads the essay.
‘We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds. We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.’
It continues: “Look the people you care about in the eye and be fully there – because that is where love begins.”
Kate and Prince William, both 43, practice what they preach at home. The royal couple has imposed a strict no-phones rule for Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
“We sit and chat — it’s really important,” William recently told Eugene Levy about his family meals on the Apple TV+ travel series The Reluctant Traveler.
