Entrepreneur and investor Naval Ravikant is one of the most innovative minds in venture capital. Recently, an internet user Fernando Cao posted on X that Naval Ravikant’s parenting style is “mind-blowing.”
“He lets his kids eat ice cream at 9 PM. His oldest plays iPad 9 hours a day. And he never forces his kids to do anything they don’t want to do,” he posted.
Cao explained why Naval says less strictness raises healthier kids.
“This philosophy comes from David Deutsch — a man Naval considers “the smartest living human.” Aside from his work on quantum computing, Deutsch pioneered a concept called “Taking Children Seriously”. The core idea? Treat kids exactly like you’d treat other adults,” he wrote on X.
Naval Ravikant's parenting style is mind-blowing.
— Fernando Cao (@thefernandocz) February 24, 2025
He lets his kids eat ice cream at 9 PM.
His oldest plays iPad 9 hours a day.
And he never forces his kids to do anything they don't want to do.
Here's why Naval says less strictness raises healthier kids: pic.twitter.com/7QL3dqk4Uh
The philosophy argues that we only control children through implicit threats of physical force (e.g. “Go to your room!” or “Hand over that iPad!”)
These are forms of intimidation we’d never use with adults. They may get children to do what you want — but don’t teach them why, he shared on the X thread.
“Naval was drawn to this philosophy because of his own upbringing. His father wasn’t around when he was young. His mother didn’t have the bandwidth to watch them all the time. And yet he grew up with agency and curiosity. This early independence shaped his view on parenting,” he said.
Ravikant believes children should have the same freedoms as adults. Every interaction should be a discussion, negotiation, or explanation as it would be with a roommate/spouse. Kids want to eat ice cream every day? That’s fine — but explain to them why that’s bad first.
“Eventually, with gentle guidance (and not force) children will come to the right decision themselves. But while some practitioners let their kids do absolutely anything,” Cao wrote.
Naval has two non-negotiable rules:
- One hour of math/programming daily
- Two hours of reading daily
Once those are done, complete freedom.
The results have been fascinating, Cao pointed out.
“Naval’s kids — and family — are thriving. His children are ahead of their peers. No one is behind on anything. And because there are no arguments, the household is very happy. Everybody gets along and loves each other,” he said.
Kids are developing natural self-regulation
Cao revealed that the kids are developing natural self-regulation. “His oldest recently passed on ice cream, saying he wanted to eat healthier. This wasn’t forced – it came from understanding consequences through experience,” he said.
This approach reveals something crucial about human nature:
When given agency and respect, people (even children) tend to make better decisions. Not immediately, and not perfectly — but gradually, through their own experience and understanding, Cao wrote.
This leads to Naval’s most controversial belief:
“He’d rather his children have agency than turn out exactly as he wants. Because agency – the ability to take control over one’s life & actions – is the hardest thing for a child to develop. Parenting by force only leads to the opposite of agency,” he revealed.
This philosophy contradicts how most parents raise their children:
“The need for constant control. The fear of giving children too much freedom. The impulse to protect them from all mistakes. But Naval’s results suggest something revolutionary,” Cao wrote.
From his guide to getting rich to this controversial approach to parenting, he’s always giving away advice that’ll transform people’s lives, he added.