Jamie Oliver bans oldest daughter from having a phone or joining social networks in case she gets bullied

  • Will 'enforce the ban for as long as possible to combat any cruel remarks about her having a celebrity father'

Jamie Oliver does not allow his daughter a mobile phone because of concerns about her being bullied.

The TV chef revealed that Poppy, 11, is the only pupil in her class not to have a phone.

But he said he would enforce the ban for as long as possible to combat any cruel remarks about her having a celebrity father.

Banned: Jamie Oliver has banned his children Daisy now 10,  and Poppy, now 11, from using mobile phones or having an social network accounts

Banned: Jamie Oliver has banned his children Daisy now 10, and Poppy, now 11, from using mobile phones or having an social network accounts

The 38-year-old regularly posts snapshots of his family life on social networking sites, but said he had also forbidden his two eldest daughters from using photo-sharing website Instagram to protect them from online abuse.

When he found Poppy and Daisy, ten, had opened Instagram accounts without telling him, Mr Oliver closed them down – despite being a close friend of the site’s co-founder Kevin Systrom – because he did not want them to face cyberbullying.

Mr Oliver said in an interview: ‘I found out my two eldest girls had set up Instagram accounts in secret, which I wasn’t happy about and soon put a stop to.

‘Poppy is 11 now and the only girl in her class still not allowed a mobile phone. It may sound harsh, but I do worry about the bullying that can go on with these sites.

Surprising: The news is somewhat surprising considering Jamie uses Instagram and Twitter himself

Surprising: The news is somewhat surprising considering Jamie uses Instagram and Twitter himself

‘I know the girls have had a hard time in the past at school because their dad’s on television. I just don’t want to risk it happening online too. It’s impossible to keep an eye on.’

The father of four, who has been married to the girls’ mother Jules for 13 years, added: ‘I don’t know how long I can  keep them from social networking and away from smartphones but I will try for as long as I can.’

Mr Oliver’s efforts to protect his children from bullying are likely to be driven by his own experiences at school, where he was picked on for being dyslexic.

The chef, who was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his campaign for better meals in UK schools, has previously admitted his education was a ‘struggle’ because classroom bullies branded him ‘special needs’.

He said: ‘I was in separate classes because of my dyslexia. It’s hard for me to read and I have never read a book cover to cover.

‘The kids sometimes used to shout “special needs” at me.’

A whole lotta first names: Jamie and Jules Oliver are a big fan of lots of first names; above with their children (from left) Poppy Honey Rosie, Petal Blossom Rainbow,  Daisy Boo Pamela and the latest addition Buddy Bear Maurice

A whole lotta first names: Jamie and Jules Oliver are a big fan of lots of first names; above with their children (from left) Poppy Honey Rosie, Petal Blossom Rainbow,  Daisy Boo Pamela and the latest addition Buddy Bear Maurice

In a report this month by national anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label, a survey of 10,000 youths found that 69 per cent of those aged between 13 and 22 had been a victim of cyberbullying.

Networking sites Facebook, Ask.fm and Twitter were found to be the most likely sources  of the online trolling – sites that are all accessible from smartphones.

In June this year, Mr Oliver revealed he had been the victim of online abuse from a Twitter user ‘being persistently horrible’.

He said: ‘Usually I don’t rise to the bait, but this bloke was really getting to me.

‘I managed to find out who he was, where he lived and who his mum and dad were, and it turned out that I was a good mate of his boss, too.

‘Funnily enough, he stopped the abuse immediately when I posted his details up. I got a nice apology as well … lesson learned, I think.’

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