Lauren Silverman reveals she's banned 12-year-old son from having a phone

Lauren Silverman has told how she doesn't let her 12-year-old son have a phone.

Lauren shares son Eric with partner Simon Cowell.

She has been vocal in supporting the social media ban for under-16s, taking to Instagram to share her views.

"This has the potential to make me the least popular mum in my son's friendship group," the 48-year-old wrote. "No phones during playdates. No devices in bedrooms at sleepovers. Just kids being kids. What if we made this the new normal? The age limit may be changing but culture changes at home. Imagine the playdates once again meant riding bikes, playing football, swimming, baking, exploring outdoors, hanging out and talking."

She continued, "The surprising part, children don't need a smartphone to have fun. In fact when the phones disappear they start talking, creating, imagining, connecting. And somehow the hours seem to slow down. Nobody sits alone scrolling. They're busy making memories together."

She shared her rules for when Eric is with his friends. "When friends come over, phones stay away. And for sleepovers no devices in bedrooms overnight. Not as a punishment. Just creating space for real life. A few hours without notifications can make all the difference," she wrote.

She added that she and Cowell held off giving Eric a phone for as long as possible. Now he has one, but "there is no social media on it. He's not allowed on any apps, on any social media. He doesn't have Snapchat. I've now removed everything, so he literally can text and WhatsApp his friends."