Singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson was only 20 years old when she entered the public eye after winning the first season of American Idol back in 2002. Since then, she has been the subject of online and social media gossip about everything from her weight to her sexual orientation to her marriage and subsequent divorce. She's now happily in her mom era and, as she recently revealed, she's taking a strict approach to social media when it comes to her kids.
And by strict, she really means strict: No social media accounts until they are 18 years old! Although this might seem like an extreme stance, Kelly's reasons for it actually make a lot of sense, even as she acknowledges that it might be hard to pull off as a divorced mom.
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Kelly believes that social media is a dangerous place for kids.
Kelly, who shares custody of her 9-year-old daughter River Rose and 7-year-old son Remington Alexander with her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, recently talked to People magazine about her approach to parenting in the digital age. According to Kelly, social media "can be really hard on kids in general but especially kids with parents in the public eye," so she has “informed them they’re not allowed to, under my roof" to have it until they are 18 years old.
Her ex-husband is on board for enforcing this rule.
As many divorced or separated parents know, it can be challenging to have consistent rules when kids spend time in two different households. This is especially true when one parent has primary custody and wants the stricter rules to be followed.
Kelly shared that her daughter has already asked about the dad's house loophole to the rule. According to Kelly, "My daughter was like, 'Well, what if Dad lets me?' I’m like, 'Well, you’re there four days a month. Enjoy that. And right now he’s not letting them do it either."
Kelly's divorce was a difficult one.
Although the pair split in 2020, their divorce wasn't settled until 2022, and their legal fights have continued even since then. This includes a recent court decision that resulted in Blackstock being ordered to pay her back $2.6 million dollars he'd scammed from booking her shows when they were together. Given all that tension, it's good to hear that the two exes are on the same page when it comes to this important parenting decision.
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Kelly doesn't want to be a 'helicopter mom.'
Even though Kelly plans to be strict on the social media rules, she also argues that she is "definitely not a helicopter mom. I like that they’re independent, but I’m adamant about my schedule, making sure I’m there as much as I can be. There’s no perfect parent; I’m definitely screwing up my children somehow! But I’m doing my best."
Kelly also shared that she'll be open to changing her mind about the social media rules when her kids get older but only if they can make "a solid argument" about why they should get access to social media. Until then, they'll have to settle for the occasional appearance on Kelly's Instagram account.
