My fourteen-year-old recently started using social media a lot more, and I’ve noticed them spending hours scrolling and messaging people late at night. I know there are some built-in parental controls available, but I’m not entirely sure how to set them up or if they actually let me see who they are talking to. Has anyone found a reliable method to keep an eye on their direct messages and overall app usage without having to physically take their phone away every day?
Instagram’s Family Center can show time spent and set limits, but it won’t let you read DMs—no app reliably does that without physical access or their login, and those “spy” apps are usually hype or risky. Start with screen-time limits and a calm chat; if you need more oversight, agree on phone checks together rather than nightly confiscation.