Emma Willis opened up about her family life with Matt (Image: Dave Benett/WireImage)
and have voiced concerns about the effect smartphones have had on their relationship with their eldest children, revealing a sense of loss since introducing the technology.
Making an appearance in the upcoming two-part documentary on titled ‘Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones’, the couple investigate online content accessed by children and embark on a unique experiment at The Stanway School in Colchester where they challenge Year 8 students to surrender their smartphones for three weeks.
Despite handing over smartphones to their own kids Isabelle, aged 15, Ace, aged 13 and Trixie, aged eight, they express regret predominantly due to the negative impact social media has exerted, dubbing it the “biggest disruptor”.
Speaking to The Sun, Matt said: “Our daughter was 11 when she got a smartphone, it’s been the biggest disruptor between us and her, I feel like I lose her to it quite a bit. I miss her.
Emma and Matt Willis share three children together (Image: Courtesy of Netflix)
“The only reason that we ever have any kind of bickering in our house is because of that.”
Emma concurred, lamenting: “We never allow them to have social media. Then when she was 14 she had been begging for a long time and we were like, ‘You can have Snapchat’. And she’s literally on it all the time. There are times when I definitely feel like I’ve lost them. Personally for me, I wished I’d never given them a smartphone.”
Emma, who remains uncertain about her children’s online activities, confesses feeling that she is “failing as a parent”. She revealed: “They might be watching a video and they’ve got headphones in, you look at it and you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re just on ‘Minecraft”.”
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“But actually, it’s that video, but they’re listening to a 911 call of a kid who’s watching something severe happen. You just think they’re on that game, which is okay for them to be on. Once you get into this, it’s just a nightmare and a barrage of panic
“I can’t help but feel like I’m failing as a parent when it comes to online use.”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Emma and Matt have been married since 2008 and share children Isabelle, 15, Ace, 12, and Trixie, 8, together.