Pete:
“I’ll be tearing my hair out worrying about Princess”
It’s hard for any parent to strike the balance between protecting teenagers online and allowing them the freedom to use social media. But when the parents are as well known as Peter Andre and ex-glamour model Jordan, it’s an even trickier challenge – and one Pete is now wrestling with.
Last month, Pete’s daughter Princess turned 13 and celebrated by getting her own Instagram account. She quickly amassed over 100k followers, while her debut video on her YouTube channel attracted 90k views in just three days.
Princess’ online venture follows a life in the spotlight, having made her first on-screen appearance in her parents’ hugely successful reality series, Katie & Peter – going on to feature in their subsequent spin-off shows. She now stars in an online reality show with brother Junior, 15, and half-siblings Amelia, six, and three-year-old Theo, along with Pete and his second wife,
Emily MacDonagh, 30.
But as she branches out on her own, dad Pete – who’s always been vocal about not wanting his children on social media – is especially worried and keeping close tabs on things.
He tells Closer, “Princess is the most gorgeous and caring girl, but the teenage years… I can see I’m going to be tearing my hair out worrying about her. Social media can be a dark place with trolls – but both my kids know that I am constantly keeping an eye on everything they post on social media. It is my job to keep the kids safe.
TRUST
“Princess loves performing, and during lockdown it was a great way to stay connected with people, so for her birthday she was also allowed her own YouTube channel – another outlet I’ll be keeping tabs on. I have drilled into her, ‘I trust you and I can see everything you post – you need to ask yourself, would Dad like that?’”
It’s no secret that there’s been animosity between Jordan, 42, and 47-year-old Pete in the past, but in recent months the pair have called a truce on the bitter battle that’s raged between them since their split in 2009. In a new show of unity last month, Jordan praised Pete’s parenting skills, saying, “We have amazing children and credit to you for being such a great dad.” While Pete also confirmed they were “friends”.
Jordan recently revealed that Pete was none too pleased when she allowed Princess to set up her own Instagram account, saying, “Pete is alright about it now. That’s what you do as parents – you discuss things, weigh up the pros and cons, and then agree to disagree.” Adding, “No, seriously, we get on just fine and we are so proud of Princess and Junior.”
Last week, Jordan revealed how she was also keeping an eye on Princess’ social media use, after telling her daughter off for sharing an image of chocolate bars with a mash-up of wrappers to read as sexual terms. Jordan Tweeted, “I did not gift these to my daughter for her birthday. They were gifted to me and are of adult content. To all parents of teenagers with social media, take heed, as even when you’re watching them, they will do something like this. Princess has been told off and now understands.”
RULES
Pete agrees, saying, “Co-parenting is not always so easy for people, as both sides need to agree on the right rules. Katie and I dote on the kids, and at the end of the day, we just
want to keep them safe.”
On her YouTube introduction, Princess even jokes about the differences between her parents, saying, “On my dad’s side things are more organised and more strict. When you go to my mum’s side, she’s like, ‘Yep, do whatever you want.’ If it wasn’t for my dad – sorry to stitch my mum up – but we probably wouldn’t have any manners.”
Addressing his parenting worries, Pete adds, “Of course, there will be times when Princess makes a mistake on social media, but that is where lessons are learned. Look, Junior and Princess, they’ve grown up in the public eye, we have done reality TV, so it is my job to protect them online.”
‘It’s my job to protect the kids online’