Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain (Credit: ITV)
News

Piers Morgan slams “weak” parents over child gaming addiction

GMB host said they need to be tougher on screen time

He’s known for his ranting about the state of the world today and on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan directed his anger at “weak parents”.

The 53-year-old presenter said mums and dads need to be tougher about the time their children spend playing video games, following the news that many children are becoming addicted to the game Fortnite.

The situation has become so bad, some schools have started warning parents to ban their children from playing it.

Good Morning Britain (Credit: ITV)
Piers Morgan told parents they need to be tougher on their children’s screen time (Credit: ITV)

But Piers said it’s not the game that’s to blame, it’s poor parenting.

“So many parents are cowering from their kids,” he said. “I don’t think the game Fortnite is the arch-criminal here. I think it’s the abuse of time spent on it, being encouraged by weak parents.”

He added: “If you have a child addicted to these games, take the damn thing off them, limit it to 30 minutes a day. Set boundaries and keep them. Don’t let these little brats demand to do it for 10 hours a day or all night long.”

Good Morning Britain (Credit: ITV)
The co-host ranted about parenting today during a debate on whether the game Fortnite should be banned (Credit: ITV)

Referring to his own experience as father, he continued: “I’ve got four kids. The youngest girl is nearly seven years old, she loves various things like this one. You have to, as a parent, exercise parental responsibility. If she was playing all night, I just take it away. It’s got to start with the parents.”

Read more: Jeff Brazier reveals sweet reason he chose sons to be his best men

He said if his youngest daughter Elise, who he has with second wife Celia Walden, spends too much time on a screen, he will take it off her.

“Of course you get the tears and the tantrums but I just ignore it,” the former newspaper editor said.

Good Morning Britain (Credit: ITV)
Behaviourial specialist Lorraine Marer agreed with Piers that parents today don’t say ‘no’ enough (Credit: ITV)

He said parents need to toughen up for their children’s benefit, as too much screen time will make them exhausted and addicted.

“I know if I am in front of a screen for too long, I feel a bit weird. So imagine what it does to kids. Screen time is important and you have to limit it with kids,” he argued.

Behaviourial specialist Lorraine Marer, who was on the ITV show to debate the issue, agreed.

She said: “Parents today do not know how to say ‘no’ because if you say ‘no’, you make yourself unpopular. And then parents think children won’t come to them with problems. It’s rubbish!”

Fameflynet
Piers has a six-year-old daughter with wife Celia and he said he’s tough on her screen time (Credit: Fameflynet)

Piers said if other parents won’t make a stand then he will.

Don’t miss out: Three steps to ensure you see all ED!’s latest news on Facebook

“Kids, if your parents are too weak to tell you, take it from me – get off the damn screens! 30 minutes a day max,” he yelled into the cameras.

Piers’ beef with parents comes after he’s had a number of recent rows with celebrities.

On Monday’s show, he clashed with Coronation Street’s Nicola Thorp over sexism on the red carpet, while on Twitter, he’s has a number of spats with singer Lily Allen.

Do you agree with Piers that parents today are too weak? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

Related Topics