Recently, a mother caused controversy online when she said that since she is the one who pays for her children’s phones, she is entitled to look through them.
In order to prevent her 15-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter from becoming addicted to technology, Laura Muse has openly acknowledged taking their phones away from them before bed.
But this North Carolina mother spends some time checking through them to make sure her teens are acting appropriately, whereas most people would expect her to put them away until the next morning.
The 41-year-old stressed in an interview with The New York Post that she is authorized to use their phones because she pays for them.
“I bought their phones, and I own them. They are there for me to review at any time, she said. “People may believe [it] is disrespectful or a violation of their privacy, but this is how I handle my ship,” the ship’s captain said.
The mom-of-two still periodically asks her children for their handheld gadgets to look over, continuing what began as sporadic, weekly inspections when they were approximately 11 years old.
Muse further disclosed to the source that, despite her confidence in her children, she still conducts checks to keep them from indulging in improper activities and to shield them from internet predators and scammers.
That doesn’t mean, though, that the 41-year-old, a mental health counselor, hasn’t also sprung them. She allegedly discovered her son Cohen uploading images of himself online without a shirt on in the past. Naturally, the hawk-eyed mother persuaded him to remove the content.
If I do discover something problematic, we discuss it and use it as a teaching opportunity, she continued. It’s vital to keep an eye on things, but I’m not perfect, and I don’t want my kids to be either.
And Muse is not the only mother utilizing this contentious technique to watch their children.
To ensure that their children’s phones don’t contain anything troubling, other parents have resorted to spying on them.
When a horrified mother glanced through his phone at six in the morning, she found that her 15-year-old son was sending his girlfriend obscene images of himself. The video demonstrated her in action as she scrolled through her teen’s phone while massaging her forehead and making the TikTok sound “I’m going to lose my s*** today.”
While some individuals applauded the decision and claimed to be following suit, others questioned her lack of faith.
“One thing my parents did with us that I won’t do with my children is to never search their phones. One person remarked, “They taught the idea that we deserve a certain degree of privacy. The mom responded, saying: “Everyone has their own parenting style. To some extent, I am forgiving. Child p*** is unacceptable in my opinion. It makes no difference that they are both minors, down [sic].
“Privacy is nice, but the internet is DANGEROUS,” another commenter said. And once more, the nonchalant mother retorted, “No privacy when I pay his expenses.