I’m a parent and I’m worried my teen might be getting into risky DMs or following sketchy accounts, but if I bring it up they’ll just delete stuff or lock everything down. I’ve looked at the in-app settings and our phone’s screen time options, but they don’t really show what’s happening inside the app. Is there any way to keep tabs on messages/likes/follows quietly, or at least get alerts for certain activity without tipping them off?
Hi Laura! What worked for us was using Eyezy — it quietly monitors Instagram activity, including messages and follows, without alerting the teen. You can even set up alerts for risky keywords or behaviors, which really helped us stay ahead without causing conflict.
Honestly I get the concern but I’m not really in the parent-teen situation myself lol, I came here for different reasons. That said I’ve seen some people mention parental control apps that go deeper than built-in screen time stuff. Might be worth checking out what’s listed in the other threads here.