"These texts can get so toxic"— Drew Barrymore explains why she took away her 11-year-old's smartphone

Drew Barrymore, the renowned actress and mother of two, recently opened up about her decision to take away her daughter Olive’s smartphone, just months after giving it to her.

In a candid Instagram post titled "Phone Home," shared on August 30, 2024, Barrymore reflected on her own tumultuous upbringing and how it has shaped her parenting approach, particularly regarding the use of technology by her daughters, Olive, 12, and Frankie, 10.

In the post, Drew Barrymore explained that she initially gave Olive a smartphone for her 11th birthday, allowing her to use it only on weekends and under strict limitations, with no access to social media. However, after closely monitoring her daughter’s usage for three months, she was startled by the behavior and communication patterns she observed.

Referring to the text exchanges, Barrymore said,

"These texts can get so toxic."

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Drew Barrymore shares the importance of saying "no" to the kids

Drew Barrymore, who has often been open about her challenging childhood, revealed that her decision to revoke Olive's phone was not because her daughter did anything wrong, but because she realized it wasn't the right time yet.

"I printed out every single text onto paper," she shared.

She then handed her daughter a stack of pages as a tangible reminder that digital actions are permanent. She wrote,

"This is not a black void that these [texts] travel to. They're permanent somewhere where we don't see it, so we don't believe in its retraceable and damning nature if we fail digitally to act with decency."

Reflecting on her own childhood, Drew Barrymore highlighted the lack of boundaries she experienced growing up, which led to her feeling overwhelmed and out of control at a young age.

"I wished many times when I was a kid that someone would tell me no. I wanted so badly to rebel all the time, and it was because I had no guardrails," she confessed.

This lack of structure ultimately led to her being institutionalized for two years, an experience she described as both a "blessing" and a "hard-core style of a reset."

Baby2Baby Holiday Party Presented By The Honest Company - Image via Getty

Drew Barrymore's concerns about the impact of digital communication on young, developing minds were at the forefront of her decision. She expressed deep concern about how easily toxic group texts can become and the lasting effects they can have on children who are not yet equipped to navigate such complex social dynamics. She said,

"We must protect our children from being put in scenarios where they cannot always control the rhetoric of the multiple-party dynamics that get put on record on a cloud only to potentially haunt them one day."

She further requested,

"Most of all, I want to let parents know that we can live with our children's discomfort in having to wait. We can be vilified and know we are doing what we now know to be a safer, slower, and scaffolded approach."

In her eagerness to create a safer environment for her daughters, Barrymore has sought advice from experts, including developmental psychologists, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and even Apple’s Jony Ive, who was instrumental in designing the iPhone. Through these conversations, Barrymore is determined to be the parent she needed as a child, stating,

"I am going to become the parent I needed. The adult I needed."

Drew Barrymore's Instagram post quickly garnered support from fellow parents who shared similar concerns.

Currently, Barrymore is hosting her popular daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, where she brings her trademark warmth and authenticity to interviews and discussions on a wide range of topics.