It’s an issue that millions of parents encounter when their adolescent children get infatuated with their cellphones.

The singer has stated that giving her two eldest children phones has harmed her relationship with them since their lives are dominated by technology.

“I’m going to stick that one out for as long as possible, because I made a mistake when I gave my older children phones when they were 13,” the singer, 60, revealed in the cover story of British Vogue in June. “It ended my relationship with them, really. Not completely, but it became a very, very big part of their lives. They became too inundated with imagery and started to compare themselves to other people, and that’s really bad for self-growth.”

David, she believes, most exemplifies her own work ethic. “What he has more than anything is focus and determination,” Madonna continues. “I’m pretty sure he got it from me. He’s the one I have the most in common with. I feel like he gets me; he has more of my DNA than any of my children so far. Let’s see what happens – it’s still early days for everyone.”

Madonna also admits that her eldest daughter, Lourdes, has an unhealthy relationship with social media, and that the criticism she receives online has had a bad influence on her.

“She doesn’t have the same drive [as me],” Madonna said. “I feel social media plagues her and makes her feel like, ‘People are going to give me things because I’m her daughter.’”

‘I try to give her examples of other children of celebrities who have to work through that ‘Oh yeah, you’re the daughter of … ’ and then eventually you are taken seriously for what you do.”

Madge also discusses how she is being “punished” for turning 60 as she continues to combat ageism, and she claims that she and pop rival Lady Gaga are not rivals.

“People have always been trying to silence me for one reason or another, whether it’s that I’m not pretty enough, I don’t sing well enough, I’m not talented enough, I’m not married enough, and now it’s that I’m not young enough,” she tells Aitkenhead. “So they just keep trying to find a hook to hang their beef about me being alive on. Now I’m fighting ageism, now I’m being punished for turning 60.”

Madonna also says that her 22-year-old daughter, Lourdes, whom she had with Cuban dancer Carlos Leon, is pursuing a showbiz career but is apprehensive about nepotism charges.

Using her nickname Lola, Madonna says: “[Lola] is insanely talented.

“I’m green with envy because she’s incredible at everything she does — she’s an incredible dancer, she’s a great actress, she plays the piano beautifully, she’s way better than me in the talent department.”