Kate Middleton has written an impassioned essay warning that smartphones and computers are a source of “constant distraction,” a plague that interrupts family life and threatens to make the next generation “the most isolated in history.”
The Princess of Wales—who shares children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis with husband Prince William—added that devices can prevent parents from fully engaging with their children, “withdrawing the basic form of love that human connection requires.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales have a strict no phone policy for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, pictured at Trooping the Colour in 2023
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The essay, written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School, was published Thursday on the website of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. Children’s mental health and wellbeing have become a pillar of Kate’s royal work as she champions the importance of early childhood development.
But this is more than just an intellectual exercise for the Princess of Wales. Prince William recently revealed that none of their children is allowed a smart phone, as they encourage quality, screen-free family time at home.
The princess explains the rationale further in her new essay. “When we check our phones during conversations, scroll through social media during family dinners, or respond to e-mails while playing with our children, we’re not just being distracted we are withdrawing the basic form of love that human connection requires,” she writes.