Khloe Kardashian is no stranger to the spotlight and the public eye, but she says she’s worried about how social media’s connections affect kids.
In her latest podcast episode, she says the internet has changed since her childhood and shares her plan for when her children will be permitted to use social media. Perhaps surprisingly, her plans line up with some controversial recent legislation.
In part, though, it’s her own experience that has shaped her viewpoint.
Khloe Kardashian Has 2 Kids, Both Too Young For Social Media
Most social sites have rules forbidding access to kids under 12. Khloe’s oldest child, her daughter, turns 8 this year, so while she very well may be enjoying YouTube clips, downloadable games, and kid-centered websites, she’s not yet old enough to openly have social media accounts.
Many kids in those age groups do access social media sites — especially sites like TikTok that tend more toward entertainment than social connections — by simply lying about their age. However, Kardashian makes it clear that this isn’t allowed in her home.
She cites her own experience on Twitter, where she says she had a great time connecting with fans and was able to use the site for tasks such as crowdsourcing, which of several book title options was best received. However, she says she watched things explode as social media led to “everyone trying to be a reporter,” and that people would spread false rumors for the sake of going viral.
She Says Her Kids Don’t Know The Family Is Famous
Kardashian says that her kids have always been around cameras and know that the family has a TV show, but they’re not really aware of what that means.
“They know we shoot a TV show. They’ve never seen it. I don’t think they really know what that means. Just like everyone’s recording these days with their phones. They don’t ask questions.”
Here, it seems that everyone’s cell phone now has a camera working in their favor. She says the kids see all the family members being photographed all the time, and they don’t notice (yet) the difference between this and the photos or videos everyone else is taking on their phones as part of normal life.
However, the kids have never seen the show, and don’t have the type of internet access (of course, they’re 3 and almost-8) to encounter the family’s publicity.
“And they don’t have social media. They don’t have the internet in any way. My kids don’t have Google. They don’t have anything like that. So, they don’t know what even that means. like they don’t know what a paparazzi is. Everyone takes pictures nowadays of something.”
In fact, according to Khloe, she’ll explain it all to the kids once they ask, but so far, the only question she’s gotten is why strangers know her name.
She says that she tells her kids it’s because she’s nice and treats people with respect.
12 Is The Age For A Phone — But Not Social Media
Kardashian says that she’s told her daughter, True, that she can (maybe) have a phone for her 12th birthday, and not before.
“So, I told her we can discuss her getting a phone on her 12th birthday. That doesn’t mean she’ll get social media. That means she gets a phone.”
In the meantime, she says her kids have encountered phrases like “film a TikTok” but don’t know what it means.
Instead, her kids think that means to record a dance video, so she’ll take a video of them dancing, and maybe pull up a trending sound to dance to, as long as it’s one she feels is “innocent” enough.
So, how about social media access?
Khloe says that she thinks 16 or even 17 is ideal.
That fits perfectly with recent legislation: France plans to ban kids under 15 from accessing social media; Australia’s ban is for kids under 16; and several U.S. states have passed similar legislation, though few of the laws are currently in effect.
Those laws are hard to enforce unless the parents are on board. However, if celebrities and public figures like the Kardashians come forward to support this standard, it could influence how other parents handle social media rules.
Watch Kardashian’s latest podcast episode and get the full story below.