Why Violet Affleck Loves to Give Her Dad a Hard Time

There’s nothing like a little playful teasing between a dad and his daughter, right? Ben Affleck recently opened up about how his 14-year-old daughter, Violet, loves to push his buttons—especially when it comes to his tech skills. If you’ve ever struggled with emojis or accidentally sent a group chat to the wrong people, you’ll totally relate to Ben’s story. He shared this adorable moment during an appearance at the Miami screening of his latest movie, The Way Back.

Ben Affleck Admits He's Still Learning the Tech World

At 47, Ben Affleck knows he’s not exactly a digital native, but he’s trying! During the screening event on February 18, the Oscar-winning star of Good Will Hunting revealed just how much his daughter loves to rib him about his tech-savviness—or lack thereof. “My daughter is so funny, she teases me all the time,” Ben said with a laugh. He explained that Violet often jokes about his struggles with social media, texting, and even emojis. “I’m learning a lot about everything that’s going on,” he admitted, proving that even Hollywood’s biggest stars aren’t immune to the challenges of modern communication.

Violet's Hilarious Take on Dad's Group Chat

Imagine finding out that your dad, the famous Ben Affleck, is part of a group chat with his younger co-stars. That’s exactly what happened to Violet, and she couldn’t help but give him a hard time about it. “She’s like, ‘Why do they even let you in this group chat? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t pretend you have any idea what’s going on,’” Ben recounted with a chuckle. But Violet wasn’t done there. She also wanted to know what was being said in the group chat—a question that only a curious teenager could ask. “It’s only appropriate very rarely for my daughter, but it’s a lot of fun,” Ben added. “It’s a way to stay in touch, and it’s really enjoyable.”

Read also:
Donnie Wahlberg Brings The Blue Bloods Dinner Table To Wahlburgers

Ben also shared how he initially felt about joining the group chat. “I’m trying to get a little cooler,” he joked, revealing that he asked to be included. He was joined by his costar, Melvin Gregg, who seemed just as amused by the whole situation. “What is this group chat thing?” Ben quipped, showing that he’s still figuring it all out.

Why Violet Isn't on Social Media... Yet

Even though Violet loves to tease her dad about his tech skills, she hasn’t been granted permission to join social media platforms like Instagram. And it turns out, her mom, Jennifer Garner, has some strong feelings about it. Jennifer, who was married to Ben from 2005 until their divorce in 2018, has been vocal about her concerns regarding social media and its impact on teenagers.

In a November 2019 episode of Katie Couric’s podcast, “Next Question With Katie Couric,” Jennifer opened up about her concerns. “Without even having parents who are well-known, I worry about all kids having to deal with this new pressure,” she explained. “My daughter’s at an all-girl school, and it’s such a huge problem. She’ll occasionally talk to me about getting Instagram, and I can see why because I’m on there and it’s something kind of fun that I do, but I’m modeling the opposite of what I want for her to do.”

Jennifer went on to share her criteria for Violet earning her own social media account. “I just say, ‘When you can show me studies that say that teenage girls are happier using Instagram than not, then we can have the conversation,’” she joked. “‘But everything you look at, I don’t see anything positive for you out there. You can look at mine when you want to, we can go over it together, but I just don’t see it.’”