Jennifer Garner doesn't want her children to have mobile phones ''for a long time.''

The 42-year-old actress has banned Violet, eight, Seraphina, five, and Samuel, two, whom she has with husband Ben Affleck, from having the electronic device because she doesn't think they need it at the moment.

Asked if she would allow her children to have mobile phones, she told 'Entertainment Tonight' Canada: ''Not for a long time -- they don't need it. Until I really feel the need, but that's where I'm strict.

''I'm not there yet ... I know I'm a long way from feeling like that's something we need in our lives.''

However, Jennifer and Ben, who got married in 2005, are also trying to curb their own obsession with technology for fear of it taking over their lives.

She explained: ''We police each other, we police ourselves, we just try to have guidelines.''

Speaking about how her new movie 'Men, Women and Children' made her think about her own family life, she added: ''This movie was actually great. In making it ... it made me say, 'Gosh, we're modelling for these kids what we're going to expect from them at a certain point.' We're on the same page about it totally.''