Why Jennifer Garner's rarely-pictured lookalike daughter Violet, 17, is so private

The 13 Going on 30 actress shares her daughter with Ben Affleck


Jennifer Garner in a black dress and red lipstick laughing at her daughter Violet Affleck at the White House in 2022
10 July 2023

Growing up in the public eye comes with its challenges, which is why Jennifer Garner is doing everything she can to keep her home life with her three children largely private.

The 13 Going on 30 actress, 47, shares three kids Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10, and Samuel, ten, with her ex-husband Ben Affleck, with whom she split in 2018. Although Jennifer admitted that she has maintained an online presence in order to promote her work – in particular, her organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm – she said that she has not yet allowed her children to join Instagram.

WATCH: Jennifer Garner opens up about parenting teenage daughters

She told Katie Couric on her podcast, Next Question with Katie Couric, that she worries about the "pressure" social media puts on kids, describing it as "such a huge problem."

On the subject of her eldest daughter Violet, Jennifer explained: "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, and I am modeling the opposite of what I want for her to do." 

© ROBERTO SCHMIDT

Jennifer Garner revealed she doesn't let Violet have an Instagram account

Explaining the reason behind her parenting rule, she continued: "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.

"'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.'"

© Getty Images

The actress is a mom to Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel

Both Jennifer and Ben occasionally share photos of their kids on social media – the latest of which caused quite a stir among fans. Ben was pictured enjoying billionaire CEO Michael Rubin's Fourth of July bash with his current wife, Jennifer Lopez, 53, and his 17-year-old daughter, who bore a striking resemblance to her famous mother.

© Getty Images

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner split in 2018

The trio adhered to an all-white dress code, with Violet adding clear glasses and styling her dark hair into pigtails.

"You could have told me that's Jennifer Garner and I would've believed you. Wow," one wrote, and another fan added: "Ben Affleck's daughter is literally her mother's twin."

© Instagram

Violet was pictured with her dad Ben and stepmom J-Lo

"I thought this was an awkward picture between wife and ex-wife for a moment," a third remarked.

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