Loose Women star has 'so many concerns' over kids on social media

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Despite being one of the original YouTube stars, Louise Pentland has revealed that she is worried about kids life online in the modern social media world
One of the 'original YouTubers' turned Loose Women star shared she now has has "so many concerns" about children being on social media.
Louise Pentland, 40, amassed millions of followers online and shot to fame in the early days of the video-sharing website, but now a mum, she insists she has to be strict about the kind of content her children consume and share online.
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The social media star first launched her channel in January 2010 and has been watched more than 195 million times on the platform, amassing a staggering 2.17 million followers.
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She was one of the original stars of the platform, making a name for herself alongside the likes of Joe Sugg, Caspar Lee, Jim Chapman, Marcus Butler, Zoella and more - known as the Brit Crew.
But now speaking on Loose Women, she voiced her worries about life online, she said: "I have so many concerns about children online. I try to find a really healthy balance, and some people would say I could share more, some people could say I could share less.
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"I don't do daily vlogging, or weekly vlogging or anything like that. I know my children. Darcy is a little showperson, she loves theatre and dance. Pearl, not so much.
"Darcy has a TikTok, which is a private account; she has an Instagram, which is a public account, but she's not allowed to just post whenever she likes. It has to be well thought-out, and I have to check it out.
"There's so many safety features if you know about them. I don't think they're obvious enough but I'm logged in to her things so I see everything that is coming in and everything going out. As much as you trust your child, you can't trust the world.
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"We're never gonna get rid of social media, it's here for good, so I would rather train her to use it wisely and sensibly while she still listens to me!"
Despite the potential concerns she raised, she also shared how the website helped her through some "really dark times", keeping her motivated while having the support of her community around her. But again, she insists that having clear online "boundaries" is important when she decides what part of her life she shares on camera.
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She said: "There have been some really dark times in my life. I had a very difficult, turbulent childhood, and I have been divorced. During those times, not the childhood, but, say, when my marriage came to an end, YouTube was a really joyful distraction.
"I do share the down bits, but also I think it's really important that we remember to have boundaries, and you don't need to share every single thing with every single person.
"So I try and find a balance of not making everything look perfect and remembering what is personal. When you're dealing with your children and your family, you've got to have those boundaries."