Lauren Silverman reveals the ‘nagging fear’ of her son Eric, 12, being on social media after discovering he had downloaded Snapchat on her phone

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Lauren Silverman recently explained why she changed her mind about her previous rule of not allowing her 12-year-old son, Eric, to have a phone.

Eric’s parents, a 48-year-old mother and her 66-year-old partner, initially didn’t want him to have a phone. However, they changed their minds after finding out he’d been using the messaging app Snapchat on his sister Lauren’s phone.

Simon hasn’t used a phone in eight years, and he’s stated that giving it up has significantly improved his happiness.

Lauren recently shared the rules she’s set for her husband, Eric, now that she’s working on a campaign to raise the minimum age for social media use to 16.

Lauren shared with The Mirror that her ex used to connect her phone to the car’s sound system to play music while she was driving. She explained that she wasn’t aware of what he was doing with her phone and didn’t understand how it worked.

Lauren said she became ‘really freaked out’ as she learnt Eric had been using Snapchat secretly. 

Honestly, Simon and I have always been a little worried about social media, and that’s why we waited to get Eric a phone. We just wanted to protect him for as long as possible and felt like holding off was the right thing to do.

Eventually the couple decided to give Eric a phone but lay out strict ground rules. 

Lauren explained that they bought Eric a phone, but intentionally kept it very basic. He isn’t allowed to use any social media apps, including Snapchat. She’s made sure the phone only allows him to text and use WhatsApp to communicate with his friends.

The socialite explained she’s added to Eric’s group chats to monitor the conversations, but she doesn’t actually contribute to them.

Lauren found out Eric was using Snapchat, even though he claims he doesn’t care about social media. When she asked him about it, he explained he just wanted to stay in touch with his friends.

She’s now involved with the Raise The Age campaign and recently hosted Ellen Roome to discuss a petition for safer social media laws for children.

Ellen believes social media contributed to her son’s death. She’s urging the UK government to quickly pass laws protecting children online, fearing the country is lagging behind and more young lives are at risk if they don’t act now.

The House of Commons will vote on Wednesday about a plan to stop children under 16 from using social media.

Lauren previously spoke about her dilemma about giving a phone with Eric on Instagram. 

She explained that Simon and she had always strongly agreed on one thing: their son Eric wouldn’t get a phone. Interestingly, Simon hadn’t used a phone himself in almost eight years!

Recently, Eric had a frank discussion with us that caused us to reconsider our stance a little bit.

He’s got a new phone, but with limits. He’s only using it for calls and texts with friends and family – no social media allowed.

Okay, so Lauren was showing us these pictures, and she started talking about her son – you won’t BELIEVE this – she totally changed her mind about getting him a phone! I’ve been following her for ages, and she was so firm before, saying he was too young. But now… she’s actually considering it! It’s fascinating to see her thought process unfold, honestly. She went into detail, explaining everything, and I was just hanging on every word. It’s like, I get her struggle, you know? It’s so relatable! She was showing pictures, and it all just clicked – I’m completely invested in this whole saga now!

However, I still decided against letting my child use social media. It’s undeniable that texting is now a common part of growing up.

It’s where everything happens, you know? All the fun stuff gets planned, everyone’s always cracking jokes, and honestly, amazing friendships just bloom. But then… then there’s this awful feeling, like you’re the only one left out, like everyone else is having inside jokes and you’re just… not part of it. It’s the worst.

‘For a long time I was very clear, no phone.’

Honestly, I completely agree with Lauren. I think the longer Eric can go without getting a smartphone, the better it will be for him. We both feel it’s best to hold off as long as possible.

Everything shifted when she found out her son had been secretly using her phone to message his friends on Snapchat.

She said: ‘That moment really made me stop and think about what the right approach should be. 

We didn’t argue; we had a conversation. It turned out his concerns were pretty straightforward. He wasn’t interested in social media at all – he just wanted to stay connected with friends through texts and calls.

Lauren explained that they reached an agreement: Eric can have a phone for calls and texts, but he’s not permitted to use Snapchat or other social media apps.

She explained that she was setting this boundary because social media feels like a completely separate reality.

We’re currently dealing with a lot of stress, feeling compared to others, and facing negativity. We’re hoping things will improve soon.

Lauren explained her household rules: no phones are allowed in Eric’s bedroom, during meals, or when the family is spending time together.

She concluded: ‘Technology should never replace real life.’

Simon gave up having a phone back in 2018. 

The media executive shared that his phone had become such a source of distraction and frustration that he decided to disconnect completely to protect his well-being and find more happiness.

He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I literally have not been on my phone.

‘The difference it made was that I became more aware of the people around me and way more focused.

It really bothers me when people are on their phones during meetings – I’ve definitely been guilty of it myself. It makes it impossible to focus.

This has really helped my mental wellbeing. It’s a bit unusual, but it’s genuinely been a positive experience and has definitely made me feel happier.

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2026-04-14 03:51