As a parent, you won’t always get everything right. But it’s important to keep trying to guide your kids to make good choices. That’s what a mother from North Carolina is doing with her teens’ screen time.
Every night around 11:30 pm, Laura Muse follows a routine with her son Cohen. She tucks him into bed with a kiss and then takes his phone away for the night. This is just one of the ways she manages her kids’ screen time and online behavior, making sure they get enough rest and act responsibly online.
As a mental health professional and the one who pays for her kids’ phones, Muse feels she has the right to check them, even though some people criticize her. “I own their phones, I pay for them, so I can look through them whenever I want,” she told the New York Post.
She understands that some parents might see this as invading her kids’ privacy, but Muse believes it’s an important part of being a parent.
She’s not alone in this approach. On social media, under the hashtag #RaisingTeens, other parents share how they keep an eye on their teenagers’ online activities. A survey by Malwarebytes found that 54% of parents use different methods to monitor what their teens do online, like GPS tracking and checking their texts and social media.
Muse started being vigilant when her kids got their first phones at age 11. At first, she did random checks every week, but now that her kids are teens, she does it less often. Even though she trusts her kids, Muse believes keeping an eye on their digital behavior helps protect them from inappropriate activities and online dangers.
Sometimes, when Muse checks her kids’ phones, she finds concerning behavior, like her son posting something inappropriate on social media. When this happens, she talks to her kids about it, turning the situation into a learning moment. Muse believes that having open conversations and setting clear boundaries are key to helping her children use technology responsibly.
Many parents on TikTok share why they check their kids’ phones, but not everyone agrees with this approach. Some users criticize it, saying things like, “This is not okay,” “You don’t have to go through her phone,” and “I hate parents who can’t respect boundaries.”
In Muse’s home, though, her children have come to understand and even appreciate her involvement in their digital lives. She sees her actions not as invading their privacy but as a way to protect and guide them.
What about you? Would you, or have you, done the same with your children? Share your thoughts in the comments!
