Socialite
Paris Hilton recently reflected on the negative impact that
Social Media can have on young minds, noting that she hopes her children don’t grow up to be as addicted to smartphones and their interactive apps as she is. The 43-year-old businesswoman shared her thoughts on the prevalence of social media use among kids during a recent summit called “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation,” held on March 25 at the Getty Center in
Los Angeles, People reported. According to the event’s website, the annual gathering is “expressly designed to equip creators of television—including writers, artists, producers, and executives—for the year ahead by connecting creators of popular culture with leading changemakers to engage in critical discourse on the most urgent issues of our time.” While speaking on a panel titled “To Suffer Alone,” which also featured U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Ms. Hilton shared her hopes and desires for her children’s futures. The Hilton heiress shares 14-month-old son Phoenix and four-month-old daughter
London with her husband, author Carter Reum. The couple, who wed in the fall of 2021, welcomed their kids via surrogate in January 2023 and November 2023, respectively. “I just want my children just to feel just so loved and seen and want to be that next generation of someone that brings positivity to the world and just to have big hearts and big loving,” she said. “That’s something that’s really important to me.” Ms. Hilton also mentioned that she wants her kids “to live a world outside of social media” and not be on their phones “all the time.” The picture drew a slew of hurtful comments from users about the size of Phoenix’s head, from someone questioning whether or not he had hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain, to another likening him to Stewie Griffin, a fictional character from the animated series “Family Guy.” Ms. Hilton subsequently issued a lengthy statement to her
Instagram stories. “Living life in the spotlight, comments are inevitable, but targeting my child, or anyone else’s for that matter, is unacceptable. This hurts my heart more deeply than words can describe,” she wrote at the time. “I’ve worked hard to cultivate an environment that is all about love, respect, and acceptance, and I expect the same in return. If I don’t post my baby, people assume I’m not a great mother and if I do post him, there are some people who are cruel and hateful,” she continued. Researchers indicated those between the ages of 12 and 15 who spent just 30 minutes on apps had an increased risk of internalizing problems compared to those who didn’t use social media. Moreover, the study found that those who were active on social media for more than three hours per day were at a “heightened risk for mental health problems.”