Keira Knightley Bans Social Media for Her Children

The ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ star shared the challenges of parenting in the digital age and said her daughters can only use devices when monitored.

Keira Knightley arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2015. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

“Pirates of the Caribbean” star Keira Knightley is clear on her stance when it comes to social media exposure, revealing she banned her children from using any online platform without direct supervision.

During an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Oct. 22, Knightley, 40, explained she made the decision in hopes of shielding them from dangers on the internet.

“I find it very terrifying because they are unregulated spaces,” she said on the radio program. “And once children are in unregulated spaces, these are the ones I want to protect them from.”

The British actress shares daughters Edie, 10, and Delilah, 6, with her husband James Righton, and over the years has primarily kept the young girls out of the spotlight.

“In our house, we’ve got a no social media thing,” she continued. “They are not allowed on devices if we can’t see what they are looking at, then they are not allowed on them.”

In promoting her new children’s book “I Love You Just the Same,” Knightley spoke on the challenges of parenting, specifically during a digital age where social media is prominent for many in their everyday lives.

When asked how her daughters would respond to potential pressure from peers with an active social media presence, the “Pride & Prejudice” actress noted that other parents are playing into similar household rules.

“We are at one of the schools that is doing that social media-free childhood ... where the parents mostly do the same thing,” she said.

“I think most of the parents at the school—there was a big push and most of us agree that that’s the way forward we want to go, but obviously not everybody, because it is an issue that divides lots of people.”

She acknowledged it’s impossible to keep her children away from the internet forever, and while she is unsure how long her ban will last, she understands it helps to connect with like-minded people who also value parental responsibility.

“So, you try and go ‘OK, at this play date, what are you doing to see, what are you not doing to see?’” Knightley said. “It’s great to have a group of parents where you can be open and you can have those conversations.”

“That’s what you hope, but obviously that’s not the case everywhere,” she continued. “I would love though, if some regulation came in so it wasn’t all put on the parents, though.”

According to the Pew Research Center, 80 percent of parents with children under age 12 say the “harms of their child using social media outweigh the benefits,” and nearly half believe children having smartphones do more harm than good.