Mark Wahlberg explains struggle to protect his children from inappropriate content
As Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 comes into effect soon, actor Mark Wahlberg isn’t immune to the desire to see his own children spend less time on their devices.
Even though his kids are older, Mark Wahlberg has been understandably hesitant to sit down with Ella, 22, Michael, 19, Brendan, 17, and Grace, 15, to watch some of his best-known films.
“They always wanted to watch Ted when they were younger, and they were like, ‘Dad, this can’t be inappropriate. It’s just you and a teddy bear!’” the actor tells The Watchlist.
“But they’ve since seen that [and understand my reluctance].”
It’s a different story with The Family Plan 2, in which Wahlberg (on the cover, centre left) is a suburban dad whose secret past as an assassin catches up with him on a trip to Europe with his wife (Michelle Monaghan), daughter (Zoe Colletti, above with Wahlberg and Monaghan) and sons.
For Wahlberg – who has fond memories of going to the cinema twice a week with his own father – the major draw of the first film The Family Plan (2023) has always been that families can enjoy it together.
Its sequel is well timed, too, landing just ahead of the holidays, as well as the introduction of Australia’s world-first government restrictions on social media for children under the age of 16, which comes into effect this Wednesday.
Despite the fact that his older three children wouldn’t be affected by the law were they to live in this country, Wahlberg isn’t immune to the desire to see them spending less time on their devices.
As he explains, “I flip through my phone and I’m seeing things like, ‘Oh my gosh…’ There are images that stick in my head that I don’t want to see, and that are hard to shake.
“And, of course, you want to protect your children as much as possible. But this film is definitely something the entire family can enjoy.”
The Family Plan 2 is streaming now on Apple TV.
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Originally published as Mark Wahlberg explains struggle to protect his children from inappropriate content
