Sarah Michelle Gellar compares allowing children to use social media to a child getting a face tattoo

Sarah Michelle Gellar has revealed that she and Freddie Prinze Jr have strict rules when it comes to their children’s social media usage, with the actor likening the use of the platforms to a child getting a face tattoo.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star, 45, who shares 13-year-old Charlotte and 10-year-old Rocky with her husband, opened up about her thoughts on social media in an interview with Yahoo, where she revealed that the couple’s children aren’t allowed to have their own accounts on the platforms.

“Our rules are probably stricter than most. Our kids don’t have social media,” she said. “They’re allowed to look sometimes when it’s our phones. Sometimes, our kids will be like ‘you guys are the strictest household!’ But I say: ‘Yes, but everyone still wants to come here!’”

According to Gellar, one of the main lessons she tries to impart on her children about social media is the permanence of anything that is posted online. To get her point across, she said she compares posting on the platforms to a child getting a face tattoo from children’s show Paw Patrol at age five.

“Because at that age, there’s nothing better than Paw Patrol. And now you’re 10 and [13], and you still have these tattoos on your face and it’s not even who you are anymore,” she said, adding: “That’s a very hard concept for young kids to grasp.”

While Geller acknowledged that her and Prinze’s rules are “probably stricter than most,” she also claimed that children “thrive” in an environment where they know what their limitations are.

“I believe kids need to know what their limitations are, and they actually thrive in that environment. We’re not mean, we’re not unnecessarily strict, but we have rules,” she said. “And the same way I abide by my code of rules, I expect the same from our children.”

Gellar’s comments come after she previously faced backlash over her own social media usage in 2018, when she shared photos of herself in lingerie as a reminder “not to overeat” on Thanksgiving.

“I’m just going to pin these up all over my house as a reminder not to overeat on Thursday,” she captioned the photos.

The post sparked criticism from Gellar’s followers, with many accusing the actor of perpetuating diet culture and fat-shaming.

Gellar later apologised, with the Cruel Intentions star assuring her followers that it had not been her intention to fat shame, and that she had meant for the post to be humorous.

“It’s come to my attention that some people think I was ‘fat shaming’ with this post. That could not be further from my intentions,” Gellar said, according to HuffPost. “I love Thanksgiving and unfortunately my eyes are often bigger than my stomach, and I tend to eat so much I make myself sick.

“This was a joking reminder to myself not to do that. I’m terribly sorry that people were offended by my attempt at humour. Anyone that knows me, knows I would never intentionally ‘shame’ any one on any basis. I am a champion of all people.”