Sofia Richie’s Newborn Baby Already Has a Real iPhone & We Have So Many Questions
Opinions on kids and phones (and iPads and social media and screen time in general) varies depending on the parent. Some are OK with kids having monitored phones and tablets at set time periods, others fully ban it until their kids are in high school or older. Every choice is valid, and we respect the decisions parents make for their own families. However, we were still a little shocked to hear that Sofia Richie got her newborn baby her very own iPhone already. Richie revealed the news during an appearance on the Therapuss podcast today, per PEOPLE, and we have so many questions.
First, a little background. Sofia (model and daughter of Lionel Richie) welcomed baby Eloise on May 20 with husband Eliot Grainge, which she called the “best day of my life” in an Instagram announcement. Now the little one is 5 months old and is apparently learning how to text as well as sit up by herself and play with toys.
“Eloise has a little baby phone, that we like to text, or I like to text,” Therapuss host (and Richie’s friend) Jake Shane said in a clip of today’s episode posted on TikTok. “I say, ‘Good morning, Eloise!’” he continued, which Richie confirmed was true.
In the interview, Richie explained a little more about her decision to give her baby girl a phone. “So, whoever is with Eloise gets the phone. So, um, at that very moment, Eli was sitting with Eloise, and you texted her.
Shane then showed a screenshot of the text exchange done on two iPhones, proving it is not a joke. He wrote, “Morning Eloise! Do you mind if I talk about how perfect you are on my podcast today with your mom?”
And “she” — as in, Grainge pretending to be his daughter — texted back, “Keep my name out of your mouth,” making Richie burst out laughing. He went on to say that Eloise told him, “I hate you” over text, and Richie reassured him, saying, “We had a talking.”
“Eloise has a little bit of an attitude,” Shane jokingly added.
In the comments, people were defending Eloise. “Eloise setting her boundaries ok!!” one person commented, and many people seemed to agree as it racked up 59.3 thousand likes.
“& why are we hearing about this young lady if she said no?????????” another person wrote.
Others appreciated the idea of getting their baby a phone. “Kinda love the idea of a dedicated kids phone,” one person said. Someone else commented, “This just confirmed to buy my kid a phone lol”
I have mixed feelings about this, as a mom of a 7-year-old who has already begged me for a phone. I’m trying to hold him off as long as possible to protect him, but what if I taught him about phone safety as a baby? It sounds like this phone is a good way to always get in contact with your baby’s sitters, which would be especially helpful if you have multiple people in charge of your baby at various points in the day. You could also set them up with their own Apple account and iCloud, where you can store their pictures and other digital mementos until they are ready to use it.
On the other hand, getting a baby their own cell phone sounds wild! What happens when the baby starts asking to watch Mrs. Rachel YouTube videos or play silly games? Do you give them their phone at restaurants so you don’t have to look away from yours — or is it strictly used for childcare purposes? Will this behavior encourage more cell phone dependency as they get older or less? It’s so hard to know what to do!
One expert recommendation is under the “Wait Until 8th” pledge, which is a movement that encourages parents to not give their kids smart phones until the 8th grade, although phones and watches with call and text capabilities (but no social media access) are OK.
If your younger-than-eight-grade child does have a phone, Ariana Hoet, Ph.D., executive clinical director of children’s mental health organization On Our Sleeves, previously gave SheKnows some tips on handling the situation, including making a social media plan.
“You can talk about what social media platforms you’re going to use. Who do you follow? What do you post? And then most importantly, when are the screen-free times?” she told us. “What are other activities you’re doing? Who do you go to if you’re worried about something? You also need to establish the consequences: what happens if these rules are broken?”
Dr. Hoet also recommended limiting screentime during the day, having screen-free time during dinner, and powering off phones a couple hours before bedtime.
It’s impossible to know what rules (if any) Richie and Grainge have for their baby girl, but hopefully they will share more details on their thought process behind getting Eloise a phone at this age and how it worked for them. Because, clearly, people are very intrigued!
Before you go, check out these celebrities who have shared their technology rules for their kids.