Emotional Peter Andre reveals strict rule for Princess and Junior saying they ‘kicked off for two days' about it

The Irish Sun

5 days ago

PETER Andre has revealed a strict house rule for his children Princess and Junior - saying they "kicked off for two days" about it.
The singer-songwriter, 52, spoke exclusively to The Sun at the Parliamentary screening of
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Peter Andre has revealed a strict house rule for his eldest children Princess and Junior
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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He stars in Fabio D'Andrea's short film to raise awareness of the dangers of teenage smartphone use
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Peter has banned his kids from using their mobile phones at the dinner table
Credit: Getty
During the Wednesday interview, he opened up about how he keeps his kids safe on social media in an age where views and likes are at the forefront.
The TV personality, who's dad to
He admitted this proved challenging, especially with Junior and Princess boasting a combined 1.3million Instagram followers.
He told us: "It's really interesting about my oldest two having been quite popular on social media. And I remember that when social media first started, we had no clue.
READ MORE ON PETER ANDRE
"It just looked like a bit of fun. It was again, that kind of, that
nice
little imagery of this really fun thing, being on your phone and you could play games and you could do all this
"And it lures you in. And now, you know, both my kids'
jobs
, it's about your interactions. It's about your followers. It's about brands."
Peter explained that he's implemented certain boundaries in his home to ensure his children can enjoy family time screen-free.
"They want to talk to you about seeing how much interaction you have. So we're in this real pickle now. And of course we didn't know that at the time," the singer continued.
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"And I say to my daughter, we have a rule at home anyway,
"When we sit at the table for dinner, there's no phones, there's no TVs.
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"At first they rolled their eyes, they kicked off. That lasted all of two days. They never said anything since.
"So I think there are things we can do, even little things. that'll just, once you put it in place, they'll follow it. You know, you put a speed limit, everyone kicks off about it, but eventually they do it."
Lord John Nash and Joe Powell MP hosted the screening of award-winning composer, pianist and director Fabio's musical masterpiece, which stars Peter.
The event aimed to raise awareness of the dangers of teenage smartphone use, by illustrating the devastating impact of
bullying
and youth suicide.
In the
film
, Peter portrays Jack, the devastated father of a teenage boy, Josh, who takes his own life after being bullied at school.
The harrowing opening scenes see his son in the family bathroom, with blood covering his face and body.
Peter arrives home and is immediately called upstairs where he sees the heartbreaking incident unfold, with his wife Tash cuddling their son in her arms.
He grabs hold of his child and starts sobbing before being seen in another room with tears in his eyes.
Later scenes indicate Josh passed away.
Following the presentation, which also saw actress Sophie Winkleman and Reform UK Deputy Leader, Richard Tice, in attendance, Peter discussed how he struggles to keep up with the changing world of social media.
He said: "I do feel very out of depth on how to protect these kids from their phones because I know how trapped I am in the usage of phones and how I always used to use the example, you can't sit there having a cigarette telling your kid never to smoke. And I remember one of my friends used to say, 'Dad said if he ever catches me with a cigarette, he'll kill me.' And his dad was a chain smoker! And I thought, 'But how can you not?'"
The pop star admitted change comes from individuals making a collective decision and a conscious effort to reduce the use of social media.
But he insisted bigger change must come in Parliament.
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Peter said he feels out of depth when it comes to the changing world of social media
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Fabio and Peter are hopeful that an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will be made, banning social media before the age of 16
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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MP Joe Powell presided over the meeting
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Actress Sophie Winkleman was also in attendance
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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As was Reform UK Deputy Leader, Richard Tice
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Peter continued: "You're seeing it. And then I find myself in that situation. I'm expecting my kids to be off social media and to be, and I'm doing it. So I'm now trying to make a conscious effort.
"And I think that it's about this balance. It's really difficult as a parent to do it. And I think you can't do it on your own. We need the help."
The actor, who is married to
GP
"You can't have a phone or just tell your kids, it's not that easy. We need backup. We need the government help. We need the
schools
' help.
"We need everybody's help collectively so that the kids go, well, this must be bad because no one's letting us use it. Do you know what I mean?"
Fabio is now hopeful that an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will be made, banning social media before the age of 16.
He said: "I'm really confident we're gonna see change. It's amazing to have the MP Joe Powell here from Labour and Lord Nash from the Conservatives. It's all sides coming together.
"So there's something happening and there's a movement bubbling in
this country
. People wanna see change."
Fabio added: "As a composer in the 21st century, I think it's really important to address social issues in my work, because that's what composers in the past used to do.
Keeping kids safe online
Charities including the NSPCC have provided guidance about online child safety.
Their website explains: "Talking regularly with your child can help keep them safe online.
"Making it part of daily conversation, like you would about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed."
You can find more advice from the NSPCC on their
The NSPCC recommends that children should have multiple people they can confide in, for example:
An adult family member
A teacher
Calling Childline on 0800 1111
"So I really wanted to tackle the issue of smartphones and how it affects the younger generation, because I think we're dealing with a first generation who's grown up having to navigate how they use social media, how they use their smartphones.
"And we don't really know the full effects of what's happening right now on the younger generation. So I thought it was really important to address this in the film."
Fabio has released a series of short films highlighting key social issues.
He's collaborated with a number of famous faces, with
Actor Russell Tovey also stars in Something Left to Love, which raises awareness of mental
health
.
Watch Fabio D'Andrea's Another Way
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In the film, Peter portrays Jack, the devastated father of a teenage boy, Josh, who takes his own life after being bullied at school
Credit: Fabio D'Andrea
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The harrowing opening scenes see his son having attempted to take his own life
Credit: Fabio D'Andrea
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Fabio has released a series of short films highlighting key social issues
Credit: Fabio D'Andrea