Yes, monitoring your 15-year-old's phone is often recommended for safety, but the approach should balance supervision with building trust and fostering open communication, transitioning from direct checks to guidance as they mature. Use parental controls and discussions about online risks, but avoid excessive surveillance that erodes trust; the goal is to teach responsibility, not just to catch bad behavior, with transparency about your methods being key.
Minimum age to stop monitoring your child's phone
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), parents should monitor their children's social media until at least age 15. But not all children mature at the same rate.
The phone plan is probably in your name and you probably bought the electronic devices. But even if not, you have every right and responsibility to check them if you've been given cause to do so because you have the right and obligation to keep your home safe, your child safe, and your other children safe.
Teenagers are recommended to have no more than 2 hours of sedentary, recreational screen time per day.
Some 15-year-olds are mature enough not to need parental controls, while others need them for a bit longer. It is up to you to make a judgement call based on your children. Whatever you do, turn off the parental controls gradually, so your children can adapt to their new online freedom slowly.
The reality is that taking phones away at night often damages trust, ignores teens' social needs, and misses opportunities to build healthy digital habits.
Although it's normal to be tempted to look through your partner's phone, it can also be a sign that your relationship lacks a sense of trust, communication, or security. Trust issues: Trust is a key factor in successful romantic relationships, referring to reliability, security, and vulnerability between partners.
Devices are a key part of modern life, but spending too much time on screens can affect your teen's health. Aim to limit your teen's screen time (excluding schoolwork) to two hours or less each day. Ask your teen to turn off their devices one hour before bedtime to get a good night's sleep.
When it's restricted your child is more likely to binge, hyper-focus, get anxious or sneak time when you're not watching. They can never fully relax and enjoy their play or viewing because they will be worried that it will be taken away.
Screen Time by Age Group and Gender
Infants (0 to 2 years): 49 minutes a day. Children (3 to 12 years): 2.5 to 5 hours a day. Adolescents (13 to 19 years): 7.5 hours a day. Adults (20 to 59 years): 6.38 hours a day.
→ Frequent checking.
Participants checked their phones a median of 51 times per day. That said, the range was significant, from two to 498 times a day. Teens check their phones more often than pre-teens. On average, older participants (age 13 and older) were likely to check their phones over 100 times a day.
At its core, the 7-7-7 rule is exactly what it sounds like: spend 7 minutes in the morning, 7 minutes after school or work, and 7 minutes before bed in a dedicated, undivided connection with your child. During these short windows, the goal isn't productivity or problem-solving.
(There is an obvious cutoff point: parents would be wise to stop tracking their teen in adulthood, even in situations where it could be tempting to continue monitoring them—for example, if they go away to college.)
As kids mature, they deserve more privacy and independence, and that includes their digital devices. If your child is over 15, checking their phone without permission or explanation could be inappropriate. For younger kids, you may still need to check their devices but it's a good idea to explain your reasons.
You're never ready for the loss of a parent, no matter what age you are. Losing a parent as a teenager is even more difficult because teens are still highly dependent on their parents for emotional support.
The 70 30 rule in parenting young children is a gentle reminder that you don't need to be perfect all the time. The idea is this: if you're able to respond to your child's needs with love and consistency 70% of the time, that's enough. The other 30%? It's okay to be imperfect.
Some teens exhibit out-of-control behavior because of substance use or underlying mental health issues. To manage out-of-control teens, stay calm, encourage open communication, set boundaries, enforce consequences, and seek professional help when needed.
Choose healthier screen time options for your child by referring to the Three Cs: content, child, and context. Content: Quality screen time matters. The rest of our tips in this post will help you determine what's “quality” content and what's not.
The 30 x 30 x 30 Rule: Every 30 minutes, look away from the screen for 30 seconds and focus on something at least 30 feet away. This technique helps keep the eyes moisturized and resets your focusing system.
Research supports that more time spent outside in nature is good for our physical and mental health. Many activities like walking, biking, hiking, playing outdoor games or sports, or even going on a scavenger hunt are good alternatives for staying inside and watching a screen.
under 3 years of age: no screen media. under 6 years of age: no own gaming console. under 9 years of age: no own mobile phone or smartphone. under 12 years of age: no unsupervised computer use/social media use.
Daily Average Screen Time for Teens in 2025
According to the latest available data, teenagers spend 7 hours and 22 minutes per day in front of screens. That equates to 43% of a teen's waking hours. By comparison, that's 24 minutes more than the global average of 6 hours 58 minutes.
But it does provide some rough guidelines as to how soon may be too soon to make long-term commitments and how long may be too long to stick with a relationship. Each of the three numbers—three, six, and nine—stands for the month that a different common stage of a relationship tends to end.
The 7-7-7 rule is a structured method for couples to regularly reconnect, involving a date night every 7 days, a weekend getaway every 7 weeks, and a kid-free vacation every 7 months.
The 3-3-3 rule can help you in the early stages of dating by providing a quick reality check on how things are (or should be) progressing. The framework recommends three distinct evaluation time-points: after three dates, three weeks of regular dating, and three months of the relationship .