During a conversation at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, Peter Thiel revealed that he only allows his children to use screens for 1.5 hours a week. Thiel, an early investor in Facebook, expressed concern about the amount of time kids spend in front of screens during the week. As US officials push for regulation on social media use among children, Thiel’s stance on limited screen time for kids aligns with other tech CEOs like Evan Spiegel and Sundar Pichai.
Thiel believes that it is “too easy” to blame Big Tech for all the problems society faces today. However, he acknowledges the interesting critique made about social media executives limiting their own children’s screen time while promoting their products to the masses. Thiel’s children, ages 3 and 5, are allowed just an hour and a half of screen time each week, reflecting his concerns over the effects of excessive screen time on young kids.
Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snapchat, and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, are among other tech leaders who have openly stated that they strictly limit their children’s screen time. Spiegel limits his 8-year-old’s screen time to 1.5 hours a week, while Pichai does not allow his middle school-aged son to have a cellphone and has all the TVs in his home locked with an “activation energy” barrier to discourage binge-watching. These measures reflect a growing concern among tech leaders about the impact of excessive screen time on children’s health and well-being.
In recent years, there has been increasing awareness about the negative effects of excessive screen time on young children’s development and well-being. Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to screens can lead to sleep disturbances, decreased attention span
