Kate Winslet calls out the perils of social media: ‘We want our children back’

The acclaimed actress made a tearful acceptance speech at the 2023 British Academy Television Awards

Kate Winslet received a BAFTA award for her role in I Am Ruth, where she starred alongside her daughter

Just a day ago, the extraordinarily talented Kate Winslet picked up yet another award for her stupendous and “endlessly watchable” performance in the female-led drama series I Am Ruth where she stars alongside her daughter Mia Threapleton. After receiving the BAFTA television award, the actress made a tearful acceptance speech, in which she raised her deep concerns over the perilous impact that social media is making on today’s young minds. “We want our children back,” said the Oscar-winning actress.

I Am Ruth marks the return of Channel 4’s much talked-about I Am... anthology series. It throws light on the life of a mother, whose teenage daughter is facing the toxic effects of spending too much time on social media.

“I am guaranteed to be the only one of the night to cry,” Kate said just before breaking into tears on stage. Holding the BAFTA statuette in her hand, The Reader star said, “If I could cut this in half, I would give the other half to my daughter. We did this together, kiddo.”

Also read: Mare of Easttown premiere: Slow but intriguing, with Winslet delivering her best

Adding to that, she said, “I Am Ruth was made for parents and their children - for families who feel that they are held hostage by the perils of the online world, for parents who wish they could communicate with their teenagers but who no longer can, and for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides.” Urging authorities to criminalise harmful content online, she said, “We don’t want it. We want our children back.”

This isn’t the first time that the Mare of Easttown actress has voiced her opinion about social issues. Speaking in an interview with ​​Josh Horowitz earlier this year, Kate denounced the tendency to pressurise women for how they look, calling out body shaming as ‘borderline abusive’. In the video, she categorically spoke about how women have time and again been subjected to body shaming. The Avatar: The Way of Water actress even said that if she could turn back time, she would have used her voice differently.

Also read: Alia Bhatt lauds Kate Winslet for powerful message on body positivity

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