5 Ways to Value Your Teens Privacy and Monitor Their Activities at the Same Time

Balancing your teens privacy and making sure they are staying safe can be a fine line to walk.

Your teenagers are in the pursuit of having an independent and more private life, but as a parent you have to make sure they stay safe and monitored. 

It doesn’t have to be one or the other!

Be sure to check out even more of my helpful parenting tips, too!

Give your teen privacy while monitoring for their safety

Here is how you can monitor them during the transitions in their life while still valuing their privacy. 

APPRECIATE AND ACCEPT THE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR PERSONALITY

You love your children and want to stay close to them. But, now they are individuals who are looking forward to having an independent life. 

Embrace that they are their own person! 

I know it is difficult but it’s the right thing to do.

Your teen can have different aspirations than what you thought or wished for them.

I grew up with music and really wanted my children to follow the same path.

But it was evident early on that their passions were elsewhere – and I allowed them to be who they wanted to be.

In order to have the trust of your teen and the ability to monitor them without making them feel oppressed, they need to feel accepted and valued by you first.

DON’T TAKE AWAY THEIR LIBERTY TO USE PHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

As children get older and more independent, it can become difficult to understand that your teen now needs the liberty to do what they like to do. 

While this is a true, social media platforms can be very dangerous if not monitored as well. 

In fact, many psychologists talk about the negative effects taking away your child’s phone can have on them and your relationship with them.

However, you do not have to take their right of using these platforms away from them – you just have to manage their activities through appropriate means. 

Using parental control app like FamilyTime can be an amazing solution. 

It allows you to not only observe their activities but also to control them digitally – giving them the freedom they need while also helping keep them safe.

ALWAYS ASK IF THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING 

If you have an open dialogue relationship with your children, you have the best thing! 

You can not only discuss your concerns openly with them but also have them tell you their problems, too. 

Over the years I’ve worked very hard on cultivating a relationship with my boys where they can come talk to me about anything without judgement.

It doesn’t mean I always get it right. But they know I’m trying. 

If you don’t have such a relationship, it’s never too late to start – right now! Read these teen parenting tips to get you going. 

DISCUSS YOUR CONCERNS and be open with them

Earning your child’s trust is just as important as them earning yours.

For example, if you tell them you are worried about the time they are spending using the internet – they may already think of you as a helicopter parent.

What do you think they are going to do?

Your teen is going to be more cautious about letting you know of their activities, which just keeps building upon itself. 

So, the first thing you in earning their trust is to help them understand your good intentions for them. 

Then, if you talk to them and tell them why a certain activity is not good or if they could at least limit it, they are more likely to listen to you.  

When I was a teen, I remember asking permission to go out with friends.

My parents would sometimes list reasons I shouldn’t go – I listened and sometimes decided to pass just because of what they said!

USE DIGITAL WAYS TO create SOFT CONTROLS while keeping your teens privacy

Using soft controls through a parental control app is way more impactful and different than laying down the law. 

You do not have to hound them about their activities because their phone will tell it all. 

No, you do not have to constantly check their phones.

This is how FamilyTime, an extremely feature-rich app, works. 

You install an app on your phone and the Jr. app on your teen’s device. 

After making an account, you can control all of their digital activities through your app, helping them make smart decisions online.

Keeping your teen safe isn’t about keeping them under lock and key.

Create a relationship that allows open communication while also creating boundaries that work for both of you.