Luisa Zissman has said she will not replace the iPads she admitted smashing in front of her children, reiterating her view that social media is "mentally and emotionally damaging" to young people.
The 38-year-old former The Apprentice contestant and entrepreneur made the remarks on her podcast, Everything Luanna, saying the family had coped after she removed devices from the household and that she had no intention of buying replacements. "I'm sick of preaching, I'm not replacing them and I did a flight home without them and guess what it was fine," she said. Zissman added that she would not replace the devices ahead of a planned family trip to Dubai in October.
Zissman, who has three children, said during the episode that she believed the internet was the "f*****g demise of our society" and questioned why other parents continued to allow young children access to social platforms. She argued that many children were not emotionally or mentally equipped to process what they encounter online and described wider increases in anxiety and related mental health problems as being linked to social media use.
On social media, Zissman has previously shared images of a broken iPad after saying she smashed the devices because screen time had turned her children into "devils". In an Instagram post last month she wrote that she wanted to focus on "sports and family" rather than letting her children accumulate hours of screen time. "No more tech for us, it destroys their brains, creates little monsters and makes them devils. More sports, more family time & more discipline loading!" she wrote.
The posts drew a mixed response from followers. Some users praised her decision, with one commenting they had done the same, while others criticised destroying an expensive item and urged alternatives such as confiscation or using built-in parental controls. Critics said smashing a device could be traumatic for children and argued it failed to teach respect for property. Zissman responded to some critics by saying she wanted her children to see the devices destroyed so they understood they would not be returned, and that "gentle parenting has exited this chat."
Industry context has also been part of the discussion. Zissman praised an announcement by the Australian government that it would consider including YouTube accounts in a proposed ban on social media access for under-16s. YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet's Google, has reportedly threatened legal action if included in such a ban. Zissman referenced research she said showed social media's harms and argued the platforms were unnecessary for young children.
Commenters also pointed to the financial cost of replacing tablets. The devices Zissman posted about retail from around £329, and some critics suggested destroying costly items was wasteful and potentially unfair to families who save to buy such devices. Others argued charitable options exist for unwanted tech and that destroying devices does not teach children to value belongings.
Zissman said she had been surprised by the volume and range of reactions to her posts. "Wow so many triggered people and differing opinions on this post - actually didn't expect the reaction," she wrote in a follow-up. She also used an Instagram question box to ask followers: "Why do you care so much?"
Her stance touches on broader debates about children, screen time and parental approaches to digital safety. Health professionals and researchers have increasingly examined links between young people's social media use and mental health outcomes, while policymakers in several countries have weighed stricter age limits or oversight for platforms. Technology companies often respond by pointing to parental controls and other safety tools that can reduce risks without outright bans.
Zissman's comments add a high-profile voice to the ongoing public conversation about how parents, educators and regulators should balance the perceived benefits and harms of digital devices and online platforms for children.