Mistake that made them better parents: Denise Richards says one gift to her kids led her to years of worry

When Denise Richards looks back at raising her daughters, Sami and Lola, she does not point to the challenges of co-parenting with Charlie Sheen as her biggest parenting regret. Instead, the actor has identified something far more ordinary: giving her children smartphones with unrestricted access to the internet and social media. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star previously opened up about the decision, explaining that she initially gave the phones to her daughters when they were around 8 or 9 so they could contact her while she was working or visiting friends.

Why Denise Richards regrets giving her daughters phones

Richards said the decision became difficult because of how quickly children can access content online. “I think the biggest mistake I made as a parent was giving my kids a phone,” she said on the Daddy Issues podcast, according to Bravo. The actor explained that even parental controls could not completely solve the problem. She also worried about the impact of social media and online bullying on young children. “If I could go back and do anything over, I would definitely not give them a phone with access to social media and the internet,” Richards said.

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Her concerns went beyond what her daughters might see online. Richards also noted that the internet could expose children to information about their parents that they might not otherwise encounter at such a young age.

Richards tried to protect her daughters from family drama

Raising Sami and Lola also meant navigating their relationship with their father, Charlie Sheen, whose personal struggles became highly public during and after his marriage to Richards. Richards has previously spoken about trying to shield the girls from that turmoil. In a 2011 interview with ABC News, she said her priority was protecting her daughters, but acknowledged that she eventually had to explain some of their father's problems to them.

More recently, Richards told PEOPLE that she has deliberately avoided speaking negatively about Sheen in front of their daughters, allowing them to develop their own relationships with him. She said their relationship with their father is currently good, although there are still unresolved feelings that may need to be addressed.

Her daughters have grown up in the spotlight

Sami and Lola are now adults, and their relationship with both parents has evolved over the years. PEOPLE reported in 2026 that Richards remains closely involved in the lives of her three daughters, including Eloise, whom she adopted in 2011. Richards has also acknowledged that parenting has changed dramatically since she was growing up, particularly because of technology and social media.

For the actor, the experience appears to have reinforced one lesson: parents can try to control what children encounter, but technology can make those boundaries increasingly difficult to maintain.

A parenting lesson that came with hindsight

Richards' admission reveals a challenge that extends beyond celebrity families. Smartphones can give children independence and an easy way to stay connected with parents, but they can also open the door to social media, online criticism and information they may not yet be prepared to process.

For Richards, that balance became clearer with experience. Her biggest parenting regret was not a dramatic Hollywood decision, but something much more familiar to many parents handing her children a phone and discovering just how difficult it can be to control what comes with it.