YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki says she takes her kids’ phones off them so they’ll ‘interact’

The CEO of YouTube has said that she will take her kids' phones off them when she wants them to be present.

Susan Wojcicki admitted that her five children have to give her their phones at certain times so they'll chat to one another. In an interview she told the Guardian;"I have times when I take away all my kids' phones, especially if we're on a family vacation because I want people to interact with each other.

"So, I take away their phones and say: 'We're all going to focus on being present today.'"

At the same time, she said that she wants her family to learn "self-control methods" around technology.

"TV was the same when I was growing up," she continued. "I was taught that, sure, some TV is enjoyable, but it needs to be balanced with sports, school, homework, reading and other activities.”

Asked when the right time for a child to have a smartphone is, Wojcicki said around age 11.

"When my kids started to be in a position when they were on their own, taking a bus or going places, it was useful for them to have a phone,” she said. "I think middle school is a reasonable point to start educating them about it, but also a lot of times you can take it away. "High school is harder – you’re dealing with children who are getting close to going to college, and you have zero control when that happens.”

YouTube itself has come under fire in the past for how it protects – or potentially doesn't protect – children. The site set up a sister platform, YouTube Kids, for its younger users in 2015. It features parental controls to allow for a tailored experience. But there have been complaints about how kids are advertised to and the kind of content that manages to get past the app's filters.