Erin Napier Has an ‘Exciting’ Announcement

“Home Town” star Erin Napier has an “exciting” announcement: She’s launching a live event for Osprey, an organization aimed at keeping elementary school and adolescent children off social media. Osprey stands for old-school parents raising engaged youth.

The day before the news, Napier teased the organization’s panel via Instagram Stories. “I’ve got something exciting to tell y’all this week,” she said. “Stay tuned.”

Napier created the organization after seeing what her friends endured while parenting kids who aren’t allowed to have social media.

“My friends [who are] parenting smart phone-free middle schoolers have had a brutal experience of seeing their child left out, even though research tells us social media is as addictive and destructive for developing brains as any drug,” Napier wrote.

The HGTV star wrote that she wants to create a community of children who are not on social media.

“Forming a circle of families and friends who are in this together when your kids are little, linking arms and doing what it takes to give your kids the gift of a social media-free adolescence is the only way we change the culture,” she said.

Some professionals fear that social media and text messging can lead teenagers to have lower self-esteem and more anxiety, according to the Child Mind Institute. 

“There are key differences to socializing online,” writes the CMI. “Teens miss out on things like body language and facial expressions. This can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. It can also make talking in person feel more intimidating.”

The Napiers, who are college sweethearts, have been married since 2008. They have two children together, 5-year-old Helen and 1-year-old Mae.

The Napiers have been on HGTV with their show, “Home Town,” since 2016. They renovate turn-of-the-century homes in Laurel, Mississippi.

“Erin and Ben Napier love their small Mississippi hometown, especially the old historical houses. Using found materials and old textiles, they’re keeping the character of these classic homes but giving them modern and affordable updates,” HGTV adds on their website. “From Erin’s imaginative hand sketches to Ben’s custom handiwork, this couple is bringing homes back to life and making sure their small town’s future is as bright as its past.”

According to the Internet Movie Database, the Napiers are best known for “Home Town, “A Home Town Christmas” and “Home Town Kick Start.”

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How to Attend

The panel — which includes Napier and her husband, Ben — is slated to take place on August 1 at the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss.

Parents who would like to attend the event can do so by purchasing tickets on Osprey’s website.

“Reception tickets are limited and only 100 are available!” Napier wrote via Instagram.

The reception tickets cost $20 and the panel tickets are $5 each.

In addition to the Napiers talking on the panel, visitors will also hear from Dr. Adriana Stacey, MD of psychiatry, adolescent screen addictions expert;  Special Agent David Polson, U.S. Secret Service, Cyber Crimes; Dr. Catherine & Taylor Sledge, President and founder of Osprey, moderators and Ashley & Hu Meena, CEO of C Spire.

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Napier Clapped Back at Haters

Napier sounded off after a fan on Instagram questioned her strict stance on her daughters using social media.

“What happens after high school if they haven’t learned how to use it responsibly before they leave home? This makes sense before they become teenagers but I think it gets more complicated after that,” the person wrote, per People. 

Napier responded to the person, as captured by People, writing, “What happens when they encounter alcohol? hopefully you’ve taught them how to use it correctly.”

As of now, the Napiers don’t plan on allowing their girls to access social media until they have graduated.

“Our personal policy is we’re not going to let our kids have any access to social media until they’re done with high school, I think, until you’re old enough to see it for what it is,” Napier told Today.com.

She also doesn’t post pictures of her daughter’s faces online. They HGTV designer said she isn’t sure how her girls will feel when they’re older.

“How would I feel about it, if I went back in time and saw my mom posted all of this stuff for the world to see? How would I feel about that?” Napier told Today.com.

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