Priscilla Chan won't let her own daughters on social media before 13

Mark Zuckerberg’s wife Priscilla Chan says her two daughters, aged five and four, are already learning to code with their father – and admits she thought her husband was a ‘bit of a rebel’ when they first met at Harvard

  • Priscilla Chan, 36, Mark Zuckerberg’s wife and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative CEO 
  • The couple have two daughters, Maxima, five and August, four born in  2017
  • Chan said her youngsters are already learning how to code with their father

Mark Zuckerberg’s wife Priscilla Chan has revealed how her two daughters, aged five and four, are already learning to code with their tech-whizz father.

The American philanthropist and a former paediatrician, 36, also admitted that she thought her Facebook-founder husband was a ‘bit of a rebel’ when they first met at Harvard 18 years ago.

Priscilla and Silicon Valley giant Mark, who married in 2012, share two daughters, Maxima, five, and August, four, and their bedtime routine involves stories and coding with their father.

Speaking to the Sunday Times Magazine, the mother-of-two, who looks after her children in the morning, while Mark sorts the bedtime routine, revealed: ‘Sometimes they will read books together. Sometimes they’ll code together.

‘Mark has been doing that with August since she turned three,’ she added.

 Mark Zuckerberg’s wife Priscilla Chan (pictured with her family) has revealed how her two daughters, aged five and four, are already learning to code with their tech-whizz father

The couple famously met while queuing for the bathroom at a frat party while attending Harvard, before Mark dropped out to pursue the Facebook adventure.

A couple of dates happened rapidly, and while Priscilla liked Mark, she was horrified by his lack of concern for rules and regulations.

‘I’m not a rule breaker… I had literally clawed my way to Harvard.,’ she said, before adding: ‘For straight-laced Priscilla, he was a bit of a rebel.’

Until meeting her future husband, Priscilla, who studied at Harvard on a work-study scholarship, had struggled to fit in, she said, explaining that she didn’t understand the other, wealthier girls that attended the university and all looked the same. 

Priscilla’s remarks come as the inner workings of Facebook are set to be laid bare by a whistleblower once again on Monday as MPs in the UK prepare to take evidence.

 The American philanthropist and a former paediatrician (pictured with her husband in 2019), 36, also admitted that she thought her Facebook-founder husband was a ‘bit of a rebel’ when they first met at Harvard 18 years ago

Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen has made numerous blistering claims about the tech giant since releasing thousands of pages of internal research documents she secretly copied before leaving her job in the company’s civic integrity unit.

She has already spoken out about the social network across the pond on television and before politicians, alleging Facebook’s platforms ‘harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy’, and that it refuses to change its products because executives elevate profits over safety.

Ms Haugen has also accused the tech giant of being aware of the apparent harm Instagram could have on some teenagers and their body image, and said the firm had been dishonest in its public fight against hate content and misinformation by hiding research that shows it amplifies such content. 

On Monday afternoon, she will face questions from a UK parliamentary committee scrutinising the draft Online Safety Bill, as the Government works out how to go about regulating tech firms and social media.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the claims made by Ms Haugen, saying her attacks on the company were ‘misrepresenting’ the work it does.

The couple in 2016, with their daughter Maxima, who is now five. The couple are raising their children with a mix of Jewish and Chinese-Vietnamese influences 

He said the company ‘cares deeply about issues like safety, well-being and mental health’ and that Ms Haugen’s recent evidence to a US congressional committee ‘just doesn’t reflect the company we know’.

‘At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritise profit over safety and well-being. That’s just not true,’ he added.

Facebook is reportedly planning to re-brand its business name in an apparent bid to distance its wider business from the slew of controversies in recent years. 

However, when asked about her thoughts on the impact Instagram is having on young teenagers, Priscilla said parents should talk to their children and encourage them to share their feelings.  

Elsewhere, Priscilla revealed that the couple are raising their two daughters as Jewish, but also incorporate elements of Chinese culture in their upbringing, with Mark reciting a Jewish prayer in Mandarin with his children before bedtime.

Priscilla was brought up speaking both Mandarin and Cantonese, but said her two daughters are not bilingual even though she’s tried, but added she and Mark made sure they are ‘multicultural.’  

Speaking to the Sunday Times Magazine , the mother-of-two, who looks after her children in the morning, while Mark sorts the bedtime routine, revealed: ‘Sometimes they will read books together. Sometimes they’ll code together.’ (pictured at her Harvard graduation ceremony in 2007)

The family have a Shabbat dinner with their friends on Fridays, where Priscilla serves up Chinese treats alongside Kosher food.

Priscilla looked back on the couple’s decision to donate their Facebook shares to charity through their CZI (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative). 

She said her husband has always known giving back is Priscilla’s ‘life mission’ and chose to give back the money he made from Facebook as early as 2005. 

The mother-of-two also said she didn’t care for the accusation that Facebook is making money – money that is used by CZI – by offering a platform to hate speech and other divisive rhetorics. 

She also admitted she found claims that Facebook amplifies racial hatred upsettin and said Facebook and her husband are trying to grapple with these questions of racism and added there is no cure for racism and the issue is something society should consider collectively.  

When pressed on whether Tech giants should pay their taxes, Priscilla agreed there should be some reform so that everyone gave their fair share, but stressed nobody could escape the IRS. 

She added she felt a great responsibility to give back, and told how CZI donated $350 million (£253,810,200) to the Just Trust to help them reform the US justice system. 

She said she has seen first-hand the consequences that prison sentences carry for the loved-ones of convicts. 

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