Eva Mendes Gives Rare Details on Phone Rules for Her Pre-Teens With Husband Ryan Gosling
When it comes to cell phone rules, Eva Mendes and husband Ryan Gosling are not budging. The couple, who are parents to daughters Esmeralda, 11, and Amada, 9, have adopted strict phone and social media rules at home, and Mendes just gave a rare insight into what that looks like.
“When my 11 year old asks me if she can have a phone,” Mendes wrote on Instagram recently, sharing a GIF of herself shaking her head “no” and wagging her finger back and forth. It seems like her pre-teen is out of luck if she thinks she can convince her mom to change her mind, which many people agreed with.
“Good call! ????” one person wrote, to which Mendes replied, “thanks for the support !!!❤️”
“You go girl!! I would wait until she’s older too! So much time for cell phones, only so much time for being a kid!” someone else wrote.
Another person gave a suggestion: using a landline instead of a smartphone. “Show the little one the LANDLINE!” they wrote. Mendes replied, “yes ! We love land lines here! Love !”
One person brought up parent controls and restrictions she implement on an iPhone, to which Mendes said, “I know – but a device when so young – even with controls on it -will just eventually control her. ♥️♥️♥️” Such a poignant take, and one that experts agree with.
Brooke Shannon, who founded the national Wait Until 8th campaign in 2017 to encourage parents to hold off on smart phones for kids until at least 8th grade, previously commented on parents’ growing trend of adopting landlines.
“We think this story is resonating because it captures something many parents are quietly wrestling with: how to give kids independence and connection without handing them the full pressures of smartphones too early,” Shannon told SheKnows. “The landline moment stands out because it feels both nostalgic and surprisingly practical. It shows parents looking for alternatives rather than simply saying no to technology.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until children are at least 13 before letting them have their own social media accounts, despite the fact that 38 percent of tweens ages 8 to 12 report using social media.
In the past, The Place Beyond the Pines star revealed that she encourages boredom in her daughters. “I’m bringing boredom back!” Medes told Byrdie in 2022. “I really feel like when we’re bored — not stimulated by a phone, or an iPad, or computer or television — that’s when ideas come in. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s dangerous, and sometimes it’s enlightening. I really want it to be the summer of boredom.”
These tech rules seemingly came from Mendes’ own experience of having too much screen time. Back in 2021, she shared a tweet from @latinxparenting, which said, “Let your kids call you out. It’s not disrespect. It’s healthy. Kids can be so fiercely aligned with their value that they will take nothing less than the respect they deserve. They will take no BS. Not even from you. Congratulations, you are raising an empowered child.”
In her caption, Mendes thanked the account “for this important reminder,” adding, “I haven’t posted lately because my little one told me I was on the phone too much. I could tell she was taking it personally. And she’s a kid, of course she’d take it personally.”
“They take things personally unless we go out of our way to make it clear to them it’s not personal,” she continued. “So we had good talk, I apologized and I promised her I’d be mindful. I realized that just because I’m always home with them doesn’t mean I’m always present. ❤️”
Mendes is self-aware of her own shortcomings, modeling healthy phone behaviors for her daughters, and keeping a close eye on what they are exposed to, which is so inspiring. Her kids may not be happy now, but they’ll thank their mom one day for how hard she worked to protect them and keep them safe from digital harms.
Before you go, check out these celebrities who have shared their technology rules for their kids.