Penélope Cruz believes the growth of social media has elevated the role of the family home for adolescents more than in past generations.

In a conversation with Porter Magazine for its July cover feature, Cruz discussed the hurdles of modern parenting and her goal of building honest dialogue with her children.

She recalled her own teenage years as tough and wondered how different things might have been with constant access to phones filled with troubling online content.

Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem, married since 2010, raise son Leo and daughter Luna together.

She described the current teenage experience as especially hard because of the ideas boys encounter and the false notions they absorb.

Cruz called social media a risky tool for young users due to the constant stream of online influences, noting it spreads a form of persuasion that baffles adults too.

She stressed that parents must invest extra effort in earning trust so children feel safe discussing their thoughts at home.

Cruz and Bardem focus on offline family activities, urging their kids to practice handwriting, enjoy nature, and hold real conversations.

The actress credited her own parents, who had her young, for making open talks easy and aims to offer the same support.

Her aim is a secure space where her children can pose any question and share freely while she listens without criticism.

Cruz has voiced concerns about social media effects on youth for years.

She told CBS Sunday Morning in 2021 that she uses the platforms sparingly and plans to keep her children off them until they reach at least 16, viewing the choice as a way to safeguard mental health even if it places her in a minority.

In a 2024 Elle chat she confirmed her kids lack phones and labeled social media a harsh trial for developing minds, since manipulation comes easily before the brain fully matures.

She joins other well-known figures who enforce firm limits on their children's online time.

Chrissy Teigen has called delaying social media until after high school her top hope, preferring her kids remain safe and focused on childhood without added rules in place.

Tech executives also restrict screen time at home, with OpenAI chief Sam Altman recently explaining how fatherhood shifted his view on endless feeds and led him to favor outdoor play over tablets for his son.