Kylie Kelce, the wife of NFL star Jason Kelce, is getting slammed for her plan to limit phone use for her daughters when they reach their teenage years.
But her approach – while controversial to some – may sound more than familiar to Millennials.
“I actually believe that we will be doing what I call ‘the kitchen phone,’” Kylie revealed on her podcast, “Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce.”
Even if they want to call up their aunt Taylor Swift or uncle Travis Kelce, the girls will have to do it in the kitchen.
The kitchen phone is back!
As a kid, I had to use the phone connected to the kitchen wall. I didn’t make many calls, but taking it to my room was never an option.
When I finally got a mobile phone, it was during the days of Snake and having to press each key three times just to text a single letter to a friend.
But I was safe.
Which is why I can’t understand why Kylie is getting backlash for her idea.
Her children are still young: Wyatt, 5; Eliotte, 4; Bennett, 2; and Finnley, born this March.
She already has more than most. A plan to keep them safe.
“There will be one or two extra cell phones besides mum and dad’s that they can take with them if they’re going somewhere without a parent, if they need to get hold of us, or if they’re at something sports-related,” Kylie explained.
The girls’ friends can still have access to their phone numbers, but the phone must stay strictly in the kitchen. No bedrooms.
“I doubt this will last”
Page Six shared the snippet on TikTok, which racked up plenty of mixed opinions.
“My parents did this, and we constantly snuck the phones upstairs after they went to bed. Super strict parents create super sneaky kids,” wrote one commenter.
Another wrote: “She’s got four kids. I doubt this will last.”
“I think this is really easy to say when your kids are little. Wait until you have teenagers in the house. Things get real then,” said another naysayer.
Many defended the idea, and honestly, I’m with them.
What’s so wrong with it? Raising teenage girls today is tough, and it’s only likely to get harder, which is why Kylie is future-proofing.
Even more so, considering the girls’ parents are in the public eye and the nieces of one of the most famous couples on earth right now.
Putting fame aside, it’s something every parent should consider. As soon as I heard her suggest this, I was instantly on board.
We constantly see headlines about preteens facing bullying via their phones alone in their bedrooms.
By keeping the phone in the kitchen, there’s a good chance that the lack of isolation could act as a safeguard. Limiting the phone to emergency calls when out with friends also significantly reduces risk.
It might sound strict, but keeping phones in the kitchen could be a simple step every parent can take to help keep kids safer. Online and off.
I can already picture Kylie’s girls’ friends calling that kitchen phone, begging for Taylor Swift tickets.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
