Savannah Guthrie reveals why her kids aren’t allowed to have a phone

Savannah Guthrie says you won’t find her kids using cell phones — at least not anytime soon.

THE Today The show’s host — who shares daughter Vale, 11, and son Charley, 8, with husband Michael Feldman — opened up about her parental policy regarding phones and social media while speaking to E! News at the World Mental Health Day gala hosted by Project Healthy Minds in New York on October 9.

“My social media conversation is, ‘No,'” Guthrie, 53, told the outlet, adding, “And my smartphone conversation is, ‘No.’ ”

She continued: “My kids are 8 and 11 – of course they want all of that. And I just want to wait as long as possible for that.”

Guthrie has previously spoken out about her approach to parenting and technology, sharing that she gave Vale access to an iCloud account — but made him sign a contract before using it — while speaking to Jenna Bush Hager in an August episode of Today with Jenna & Friends.

“I actually wrote up a contract for her to sign,” the journalist and former lawyer said, adding that one of the provisions included not putting anything in writing that she “wouldn’t want grandma and grandpa to see.”

Speaking to E! At the gala, Guthrie added that she encourages open communication within her family and urges her children to share their feelings.

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“We talk about our feelings, you know?” she explained. “I say, ‘All feelings are welcome, not all behaviors are welcome, but all feelings are welcome. You can always share how you feel in this house.’ »

She also said she often tells her children that negative feelings are like the weather: They’re not permanent.

“I tell my kids all the time, ‘You know, no matter how you feel, these moods come and you feel sad. It’s like a weather system comes in, it’s like a storm, and it takes up the whole sky. But weather systems come and go,'” she explained.

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“And I think it’s a wake-up call for anyone who is currently struggling with mental health issues,” she added.

Guthrie shared some of her own tips for maintaining a healthy and positive daily attitude at last year’s gala.

“How you start your day really matters,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “I mean, I read somewhere that it’s like you make your first choice of the day a really good one. So I try to drink a glass of water. Start with prayer. Actually, you’re going to be shocked by this. Are you ready? I started setting my alarm even earlier to get just a little exercise.”

She went on to explain that her morning fitness routine is less about keeping up appearances and more about maintaining a positive mindset.