Supernanny star Jo Frost has warned modern day parents are throwing the childhoods of their children away – because of their addiction to smartphones.
The 51-year-old reality star sounds like she wants to send the parents to the naughty step these days as she fears kids are being robbed of their childhood by selfish adults.
Jo – who has worked as a nanny for 30 years – says she has noticed a trend where parents only take kids to the park in order to find a perfect photo opportunity, while the exercise of the kids takes a back seat.
The Channel 4 star says she is concerned for the future of the children of the UK and worries that parks are lying empty and kids are not being exercised.
Speaking on the Hot Mess Mums Club podcast, Jo suggested some children only get taken to the park once a week "because their mum already had the photos they wanted".
She explained: “Instead of just doing what you're supposed to be doing with the kids and getting them out and going to play on the swings and coming back, you know those moments of chaotic mess and just taking those natural photos, it's 'oh no we've already got that.’
“It's all planned, it's all crafted out. And look what the kids are missing out on.
“The swings are lonely. The slides need children. That's the harsh reality of what's happening."
Applying more pressure on busy parents, Jo added: "So every mum or dad that's raising kids, you saw the virtual snapshot of what it looked like.
“What you didn't see was the pile of laundry that needed to be folded up and put away.
"The cr*p on the side that needed to be worked out and filed and everything else, what you didn't see was the 1,000 Legos that was on the floor... So there's two different worlds going on.
“And I don't want mums to lose themselves in a virtual world. I need them grounded in the real world because that's the real connections. That's where the real memories are being made."
Despite being an authority on how to raise children, Jo doesn’t’ actually have any kids of her own.
She recently told WHO Magazine: “People assume I have kids or ask me when I'm going to have them.
“As a woman, you get to make the decision, either on your own or with your partner. You don't need an excuse.
“And besides, spiritually, I have millions of children.”
Jo has been married to American location coordinator Darrin Jackson since 2016 – with the pair living together in Orange County in California since 2014.
Her show, Supernanny, ran for 135 episodes from 2005 until 2020.
She has also appeared as a panelist on ITV ’s popular lunchtime show Loose Women on and off Fromm 2005 until 2021.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033.
