Steve Jobs Said No iPads, Bill Gates Waited Till 14, Peter Thiel Allows Just 90 Minutes a Week: Tech Moguls Keep Their Kids Offline While Selling Us Screens

New Delhi: The world’s most powerful tech leaders are selling us devices and platforms designed to keep us hooked, yet inside their own homes they enforce rules that would shock the average parent. The contradiction is glaring: while they profit from our screen time, they shield their children from it.

Jobs: No iPads at Home

Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, the man who gave the world the iPhone and iPad, famously revealed in 2010 that his kids had never used an iPad. He and his wife limited technology use at home, setting the tone for a broader scepticism among Silicon Valley elites.

Gates: Smartphones Only After 14

Microsoft founder Bill Gates banned phones at the dinner table and refused to give his children smartphones until they turned 14. Gates, who helped make personal computing mainstream, clearly recognised the risks of early exposure to digital devices.

Spiegel and Thiel: 90 Minutes a Week

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and billionaire investor Peter Thiel both enforce strict weekly limits. Spiegel said in 2018 that his child was allowed just 1.5 hours of screen time per week. Thiel shocked audiences at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival when he admitted his two young children were restricted to the same limit. The crowd gasped, but Thiel stood firm.

Musk: Regrets About No Rules

Tesla and X owner Elon Musk confessed that he “might’ve been mistaken” in not setting boundaries for his children’s social media use. Musk’s admission reflects a growing recognition even among tech leaders that unregulated digital exposure can have lasting consequences.

Chen: Short-Form Video Warning

YouTube cofounder Steve Chen has warned against the dominance of short-form video, saying he wouldn’t want his kids consuming only bite-sized clips. His concern? Shorter content leads to shorter attention spans.

Chew: TikTok Caveats

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has said his children are too young for TikTok. Later, he clarified that he would allow them to use the app under its under-13 protections, which include vetted content, no posting, and no ads.

Scientific research backs their instincts. A 2025 study of nearly 100,000 people found that short-form video use was consistently linked to poorer cognition and declining mental health. Meanwhile, countries like Australia and Malaysia have already banned social media for adolescents under 16, with others considering similar laws.

Here’s the irony: the moguls profiting from our s and screen time are the same ones shielding their children from it. Their rules of no iPads, no phones before 14, 90 minutes a week at most are not just parenting choices. They are warnings about the very products they sell us.

The private behaviour of Jobs, Gates, Spiegel, Thiel, Musk, Chen, and Chew stands in stark contrast to their public business models. They know the risks, and they act on them at home. The rest of us are left to wonder if the creators of the digital age don’t trust their own inventions with their children, why should we?

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