Matthew McConaughey, Camila Alves welcome son Levi to social media: 'He knows who he is'
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves took to Instagram on Friday, July 7, to announce one of their birthday presents for son Levi on his 15th birthday: his own social media presence.
The duo opened their video by wishing Levi a happy birthday and remarking on how quickly the years have flown by before getting to the big news.
"Hey buddy, your mom is a little nervous today about one of the gifts we are giving you," McConaughey said, with Alves chiming in, "I am, I'm a little nervous."
"Yes, we are allowing you, Levi, today on your 15th birthday, to join the social media universe," the Oscar-winning actor continued.
This was clearly a big decision for the protective parents, with Alves saying they've been talking about it "for a long time" and have "been holding out," despite all of Levi's friends having been online already.
"He knows who he is, and he knows where he's going. I think he can handle it. He's got a great story to tell and share," McConaughey said.
The Brazilian model agreed, adding, "He sure does."
"I want to let all y'all know, you're getting a very cool and respectful young man in Levi McConaughey coming at you, and I hope y'all can do your best to treat him the same way," McConaughey said.
The couple ended their video by encouraging everyone to "go check him out!"
Levi wasted no time in sharing his first Instagram post, captioning it "happy to be here."
"Hi, I'm Levi," he says at the beginning of the video montage featuring clips and photos of him hanging out with friends, surfing and jumping into water off a cliff.
The post, set to Empire of the Sun's "Walking on a Dream," also features an inspirational voiceover from his dad.
Despite social media sites like TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter and the Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram requiring users to be at least 13 to use their respective platforms, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said he believes that age is still "too early."
"If parents can band together and say, you know, as a group, we're not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever age they choose, that's a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids don't get exposed to harm early," Murthy told CNN earlier this year.
Parents themselves have been debating what the appropriate age is to give children smartphones and, therefore, access to social media in the palm of their hands.
Since this problem doesn't have a one-size-fits-all solution, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a free tool where parents can work with their child to create a media plan that works for their own family, and the American Psychological Association has 10 recommendations designed to ensure that teens get the proper training on how use social media safely.
