Can your parents track your phone without you knowing?

This is a common question that numerous teenagers ask; can parents monitor phone activity without the youth’s consent? Given the plethora of monitoring applications and options that are available in today’s market, parents have several options when it comes to spying on kids’ phones. However, there are some limitations and things to consider.

Can Parents Legally Track a Child’s Phone?

In most cases, yes. In family law, parents have the general management of their children under the legal age and this authority encompasses the children’s online activities. Overall, applications that track text messages, locations, internet activities, and other phone usage, in general, are not considered wiretapping or privacy infringement as long as the phone is owned by the parent and the Child is aware that he/she is being monitored.

If a child is 18 years old or older then they are legally an adult and they do expect privacy. However, once the phone is out of sight, or after a point of time, it becomes unlawful to monitor the phone without the consent of the owner of the phone.

How can parents monitor a phone secretly?

Most of the parental control applications allow the parents to monitor secretly through operating in the background. It is typically hidden with the icon and notifications which makes it unnoticed by the user. Activity logs are available in the parent’s personalized account section. Here are some common covert monitoring features.

• Read text messages – This option allows accessing the contents of all the sent and received texts, including if the user has already deleted them.
  
• This category shows details of phone calls made and received - the duration of the calls, the time the calls were made, and who was with them.
  
• Pass location – Find out where the phone has been by GPS location on a map
  
• Monitor applications – the amount of time spent on the applications and the time the user logged in and out of the application/website.
  
• Time limits and filters – Use daily time limits on app categories and exclude inappropriate apps/sites from the list of available ones.
  
• Remote control – Spy on the phone’s screen without the owner’s knowledge

Therefore, with the appropriate spy application in place, parents can easily monitor every aspect of their kid’s mobile usage without them even noticing.

What Apps are Used by Parents to Monitor Phones?

Some of the most popular apps parents use to monitor teen phones in secret include.

• mSpy – Advanced options for spying that include outstanding options for remote control.
  
• FlexiSPY – The most feature-rich spy app for additional control and for iPhone devices that have been jailbroken.
  
• Bark – More specifically, it watches texts, emails, and applications, for signs of cyberbullying, depression, or sexual materials.
  
• MMGuardian – This app is more of a screen time limiter and blocks certain apps and websites that are deemed not suitable for use.
  
• Boomerang – deals in tracking and geo-fencing barriers
  
• Qustodio – Provides good insights into social media usage on different networks.

Some apps have free trials while others charge different prices depending on the levels of monitoring that are required. Thus, parents have choices between the app that allows limited contact with children or almost complete control over them.

What Are Signs That Your Parents Are Tracking Your Phone?

If you suspect your parents have tracking software installed but aren't sure, here are some telltale signs to watch out for.

• Deteriorated efficiency – spy apps consume the CPU resources and this slows down performances and reduces battery life.
  
• Data consumption – It is constantly updating activity to internet service which consumes a lot of data even when connected to WiFi.
  
• Absent app icons – Make sure that there are some icons, that are basic to the Android interface, such as Setting or Utilities, that are invisible. Their place might have been occupied by concealed purposes, solutions, or services.
  
• New identity – When a new name appears under Accounts or Users, it might be indicative of monitoring software being put in place.
  
• Unusual alerts – You can receive pop-up messages regarding device admin access or notifications about an unknown number in the notification section.
  
• Paranoid Parents – If your parents have suddenly become too interested in who you’re talking to or what you doing on the Internet, you might be getting feeds from an app.
  
• Password changes – The app could be changing passwords, PINs, or lock patterns to allow it to access such information.

If your phone is behaving abnormally, try asking your parents if they have installed any applications. They don’t have any legal requirement to inform you that they are monitoring but it does at least make them aware that the cookie might be changed to monitor them.

Is it Possible to Outsmart Your Parents and Keep Your Phone Usage a Secret?

If for instance, you find that there is tracking software on the phone, you do not have too many choices to make because the gadget belongs to your parents. But here are a few things to try.

• Remove the application – if available, remove the application, and delete the cache. Of course, this usually sends an immediate notification to your parents.
• Factory reset – Erasing the device back to the factory setting should remove any tracking app (and your data). Your parents are expected to immediately reinstall it as soon as it has been reset though.
• Use airplane mode – This feature disables all communication in the device hence there is no tracking going on from the app provider end for some time. But the activity simply syncs back up again after turning off the airplane mode.
• Disable sync – This can be done through the settings of the app by denying permissions to WiFi or cellular data. Unlike airplane mode, this only temporarily suspends tracking until restrictions come into force.

These measures only serve to put off the evil day somewhat. As long as your parents pay the phone bill, they have the right to track what you do. If you want complete anonymity, you should get your phone line and subscription through your pocket. Then they should be keen to monitor its use every time under their patronage in order not to arouse suspicion.

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