Amrita Rao says she kept son away from TV and gadgets for first five years

Rao recently spoke about the decision during a conversation on the ThinkRight podcast with Rajan Navani.For the first five years of her son Veer's life, Bollywood actor Amrita Rao and her husband, radio jockey RJ Anmol, chose to keep television and gadgets out of his daily routine. The couple did not have a television at home during this period and avoided giving their son access to mobile phones or other screens.Rao recently spoke about the decision during a conversation on the ThinkRight podcast with Rajan Navani. Recalling those early years of motherhood, she said, “The best part of motherhood was that I kept my baby gadget-free for at least 5 years of his life.”5 Oct 2026 | 12:06Parents, when your child refuses to greet relatives, do you make them say hello or respect their choice?The decision was a conscious one for the couple, who felt that raising a young child without screens was the right approach for their family. It also meant that they had to spend more time engaging with Veer themselves rather than relying on television or mobile devices to keep him occupied.Rao also reflected on how becoming a parent made her think more carefully about the responsibilities involved in bringing up a child.Why the couple chose to avoid screensThis was not the first time Rao and Anmol had spoken about their decision. In an interview with The Times of India in December 2024, the couple explained that they did not have a nanny and did not allow screen time for Veer. “There’s no television or mobile in Veer’s life,” Rao had said. She also revealed that she had put her own phone away as soon as she conceived and stayed away from mobiles for the nine months of her pregnancy.One of the influences behind their decision was Rao's cousin, a doctor living in the US. She had heard that he had kept his children away from screens and that they had grown up to be brilliant. She hoped to follow a similar approach with Veer.Anmol, too, supported the decision. “All these are hard decisions that we have taken as parents. But we feel that this works for him and us,” he told TOI at the time. Rao said getting the entire family to follow the same rule was initially difficult. However, Anmol's support made it possible for them to maintain the arrangement.What they did instead of giving him a screenThe couple also have described their parenting arrangement as a shared responsibility.Keeping a child away from television and mobile phones also meant finding other ways to keep him occupied. Rao said she had spoken to Veer regularly from the time he was in her womb and continued talking to him when he was a newborn.She would use simple phrases such as “Come to Mama” when picking him up. The couple believed that children hear and understand more than adults sometimes assume. Instead of showing him videos, they also introduced him to audio stories and nursery rhymes in Hindi and English from the time he was born.“When we are busy, we use audio instead of screens,” Anmol said. He felt that listening had made a difference to Veer's vocabulary compared with children who were growing up with screens in front of them.Rao also said that the couple's decision required them to give Veer their time and attention. “We don’t keep a nanny and we don’t allow screen time. There’s no television or mobile in Veer’s life. So, we have to give him that time,” she had said.The couple also described their parenting arrangement as a shared responsibility. In the same interview, Rao said they divided parenting work equally, while Anmol said he sometimes did more than his wife.The difficult part was getting everyone on the same pageRao acknowledged that maintaining a screen-free routine was not always easy, particularly when other family members were involved. Convincing everyone to follow the same approach took time. The couple also had to discuss disagreements about decisions concerning Veer. Anmol said that parents may both believe their approach is best for the child, but the challenge is reaching an agreement.“The problem arises because both parents think their way is going to work best for the baby. It may be that both their views are the best, but the challenge is to come to a consensus,” he said in the 2024 interview.Their approach also extended to food. Rao said they had decided to give Veer satvik food and avoid packaged snacks. She described how people often offer chocolates or biscuits to children without checking whether their parents allow them. Anmol recalled an occasion when a shopkeeper offered Veer a chocolate bar and the child responded, “I don’t eat chocolate and you should also not eat.”However, the couple also admitted that maintaining food rules could be difficult at birthday parties and other social gatherings.Amrita on preparing for parenthoodIn the recent ThinkRight podcast conversation, Rao also spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic had influenced her thoughts about becoming a parent. “If COVID had happened before my pregnancy, I would have never brought a soul into this world,” she said.She clarified that the remark was not an expression of regret about having a child. Rather, she was speaking about how major uncertainties can make people think more deeply about the emotional and practical responsibilities of parenthood.Rao also spoke about the importance of not losing one's identity after becoming a mother. She said professional work can offer women mental stimulation and a sense of fulfilment beyond financial independence. “Do not lose yourself in the zeal or attempt of becoming another person’s idea of success,” she said. “You have to be true to your definition of success.”For Rao and Anmol, keeping Veer away from screens during his early childhood was one of several decisions they made after discussing what they believed would work for their family. Their experience is a personal parenting choice, rather than a rule they have suggested every family must follow.