Dan Walker and wife made kids sign contract to get mobile phones 'Lose it if you abuse it'

express.co.uk:

Dan Walker, 45, might be a TV star, but he says his kids are "behind their friends" when it comes to accessing media on their phones.The BBC Breakfast turned Channel 5 News presenter has even forced the youngsters to sign strict contracts governing the use of their devices.The presenter has also lamented the "toxic landscape" that he feels his children live in due to social media.He has two daughters, Susanna and Jessica, and a son, Joe - and all three are aged between 11 and 15.Dan only began giving them phones of their own for safety when they started walking home from secondary school by themselves - and he has warned them that smartphone use is a privilege which he is willing to withdraw.His motto when it comes to the kids' contracts is: "You lose it if you abuse it"."There are things we expect from you in terms of what you do with [your phone] and how you use it," Dan explained as he recounted the conversation he's had with his trio."If you cross the line, we will take it away for a period," he added to The Times.Deeply religious Dan has also forbidden the children from using their phones upstairs, where he will be unable to supervise them.He insists that the devices are left downstairs charging overnight.Dan added that he is all too aware of the problems that social media can cause, after being hit with a flurry of threats in the past from trolls."I often get threats of violence on social media… I have a family to protect and look after and I take their safety more seriously than I take my own," he explained.He has also been deeply affected by the death of schoolgirl Mollie Russell, whose father believes social media content "glorifying" suicide played a role in her death.In Dan's latest book, Standing on the.