Would you look through your teenager’s phone — or trust them to handle it alone?
For Laura Muse, a mental health clinician and mom from the U.S., the answer is clear. Every night, she takes her teenage son’s phone before he goes to bed. She also monitors both her kids’ messages and online activity. “I own their phones. I pay for the phones,” she explained. “I can go through them whenever I want. It’s how I manage my ship.”
Her viral TikTok — showing her calmly scrolling through her son’s phone — has sparked fierce debate. Some parents praised her. “It’s for their protection,” one mom wrote. “You’ve done a fine job raising them.” Others called it an invasion of privacy. “Checking their phones shows you don’t trust them,” one critic said.
Laura’s reply was firm but kind: “When you have nothing to hide and communicate openly, it’s no big deal.”
Whether you agree or not, her story strikes a nerve. In an age where danger can hide behind a screen, maybe trust isn’t about turning away — it’s about showing up. ❤️