Maria Fowler sparks debate after revealing she's bringing up her daughter 'old school' without access to tech toys and gadgets

Maria Fowler's comments about parenting without iPads or phones have caused quite a stir online.

The ex-TOWIE star came under scrutiny after revealing that she and her partner Kelvin Batey will not allow their 18-month-old daughter Evie to play with modern technology such as phones and tablets.

'We decided we were going to bring Evie up old school, how we were, which means no iPads, no phones,' she posted on Twitter.

'And she's growing into an incredible well behaved little girl. I really recommend this method as we can take her anywhere & she will sit and entertain herself with colouring etc.'

Maria's statement riled up a number of her followers.

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'Judging parents is worse than learning about tech,' snapped one user of the social networking site, prompting Maria to fire back: 'Where in my post am I judging parents? I'm talking about MY life and OUR rules.'

Another Twitter follower was keen to stress that while she backs Maria's approach, her own experience as a mother tells her it's not something that will work for all families.

'I do agree! But not all toddlers are as easy. I've done everything right and not given her a phone etc BUT she can be really bad for no reason - hitting, screaming, everything,' they confessed.

'As a last option I have to show her my phone - it just saves me from crying in public.'

'You can bring them up with iPads and they can still be well behaved! They can do puzzles or learning activities to entertain themselves,' a third person responded.

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Others, however, praised the 31-year-old for her decision.

'This is so good to read! I went to a restaurant today and at least eight children sitting at the tables were watching iPads,' said one.

'Would never have been able to do that when I was younger.'

A second Twitter user quipped: 'Good idea! I work with children and they all know how to use an iPad but not a pencil! So I spend half my time teaching them how to hold a pencil.'

'I feel so blessed that my childhood was before technology took over and I have wonderful memories. Evie will too 'cos you're doing the right thing 😘,' piped up another of Maria's supporters.

What do you think? Would you raise your children without tech gadgets if you could? Or do you think tech like iPads also make good learning tools as well as entertainment for kids these days? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.