I’m having an issue with both of my children’s devices after updating everyone to the latest software.

When either child requests more screen time, a text message pops up with both my wife’s and my email addresses in the To: field. When they tap Send, nothing happens.

I’ve tried editing the contacts on their devices, but it won’t let me change the email addresses. I’ve seen several other people reporting the same issue, but I haven’t found a solution.

Has anyone managed to fix this themselves? If so, what worked for you?

A months ago I got my new iPhone from my mom not knowing she can go through my phone without going onto my phone. I thought this was weird since she had a Samsung and i had an iPhone cause ive already got in trouble because some of my friends invited me to a group chat were some people who i didn’t know were showing nudes of themselves like full videos of them showing there🐓

If this account seems suspicious, I'm using an alt for safety reasons.

Anyway, so I recently decompiled the latest Qustodio Android release APK (as of 27 October 2026), and I discovered that they recently added parsers for ChatGPT conversations, Facebook Messenger, Reddit DMs and Google Messages! Which basically means Qustodio can now monitor conversations on all four platforms and generate alerts, similar to how it monitors messaging activity on WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat etc.

As far as I can tell, Qustodio has only publicly announced the addition of ChatGPT monitoring on their blog. However, I couldn't find any official announcements or blog posts regarding the addition of monitoring for Google Messages, Reddit DMs or Facebook Messenger.

Interestingly, Qustodio's support documentation still contains outdated information. Its article on Android call and SMS monitoring still mentions that RCS (Rich Communication Services, which is only supported by Google Messages) can affect SMS monitoring. It also states that Reddit is not supported for chat monitoring, which is seemingly no longer true.

I also want to add that SMS monitoring has historically been available only through the Android APK you can download directly from Qustodio's website, rather than the version available on the Google Play Store, so SMS monitoring is not supported if you've downloaded it from the Play Store, unless you use Google Messages from now on ofc.

Please be aware of these changes.

Switch to other SMS apps like Samsung Messages. And don't think FB Messenger or messaging on Reddit is safe anymore, and don't trauma dump to ChatGPT. Claude doesn't glaze you as much anyway so I don't think it's that bad, and you can always transfer memories from ChatGPT to Claude. Or the best method is to boot into Safe Mode and turn off "Display over screen" in settings, and then rebooting back to normal.

And most importantly, hang in there, I mean I'm quite honestly not sure how I'm alive still, especially with these insufferable and abusive excuses for parents, but I can confirm that things do actually get better in the long run. It just takes a really long time but it's worth it, I promise

With that being said, fuck Qustodio, but also please don't sue me

Hi! Im Daffy and i just turned 18! Meaning my dad finnaly got rid of that god awful sadistic app. For 10 years my dad installed that app on my device, since then he has controlled my device. Were talking about "1 hour of this game" and "6pm down time" all that BS. Thank god he finnaly got rid if that app. Talk about over-protective. Any comments?

location sharing on? a check-in time? extra screen time for the group photos? or same rules as any other night?

EDITED: More like a screen habits reset. NOT completely screen-free 🫣

Hi all. I'm a parent, and I'm here because I'm researching an idea. I'm thinking about writing a guide for parents of kids around 6 to 10 on changing screen time habits, based on my personal experience. I'm not selling anything here, and I won't be posting links or pitching. I'm just trying to learn what parents need and if our experience is valuable to anyone.

Here's what my son and I have done since February:

• We name the reward up front. We started with something he wanted very much and motivated him to start a 30-day screen-free challenge. Over the months, we've experimented with different types of rewards and found one he's really looking forward to every month.
• We constantly stick to the rule. When he asks for the TV, we use the same reminder time and time again and he decides he wants to continue the challenge.
• We swap, we don't just cut. He's not completely screen-free, but he's not watching cartoons, YouTube videos, or movies at all. Duolingo, chess, and reading about a topic he cares about replace cartoons during the challenge.
• Mornings stay screen-free so the day starts with other things.

He still pushes back some days, and we're still figuring out a lot of it but hey, since February this year, our son hasn't spent hours on TV for weeks on end. He gets a few days between challenges but that's all.

So I'm asking you honestly:

1. What's the hardest screen moment in your house, and what have you tried?
2. Would a step-by-step system with word-for-word scripts be useful to you, or do you feel you've already got that covered?
3. If you'd pay for something like this, what would make you trust it over the free printables and planners?

Happy to answer anything about what we've done, including what didn't work.

dad is estranged and i am not in a position to contact him to remove me from family sharing on apple. im 17. how can i leave? i cant buy icloud storage and its really messing with my school and work. would they help at the apple store?

I added youtube app on windows for my kid's login. i went to family safety and setup 15 minutes in the app. she goes to edge browser to use youtube, then it is unlimited there. is there a way to allow 15 minutes of a website on edge browser in family safety? i feel like this is a limitation if its not possible.

Parental controls being dumb

why are gonna let me search up the word uploaded even in the dictionary

I have android pixel 9a and when. I clock add more time it shows the pin for like a split second and then my device restarts. Sometimes it shows the option for a factory reset and a android UI system error. Can someone please help. Asap

I have Family Link. I don't mind it at all except for one thing. The screen time- I'm not doing anything inappropriate, I swear. I have trouble falling asleep, so I use music to calm me down and help me sleep. Without it, I fall asleep in around one and a half hours. To some people, it may not sound like a lot, but for me it feels like ages. So, I found an app that allows me to listen to music. I admit, I have a screen problem and get distracted on my phone. So I used the music app so I could strictly listen to music and nothing else. Then downloaded another app that would unblock that app during downtime. I was FINALLY free! But about 2 days later, when I got back from school, my mom was waiting for me at the door. She was yelling at me about how she knew I was on my phone past bedtime because somehow she gets alerts from the internet every time I go on an app or website. So now I have to turn in my phone to her every night. Any idea on how to help me on this situation will be GREATLY appreciated.

PS: I'm 14 and have been a straight A & B student ever since I was 11.

My mom makes me turn in my phone and laptop every night, which I would be completely fine with because I understand why she would do that because of my sleep disorder and to make sure I don't stay up too late. My issue is that she also makes me give her my password and goes through my phone about once a week; I just want some privacy. She’s literally told me before, "Hey, I looked through your phone and wanted to let you know I didn't see anything that I would deem inappropriate." Like, yeah, of course you wouldn't have; I'm not doing anything inappropriate in the first place.

That doesn't really bother me as much as her often going through my texts with my girlfriend; my girlfriend knows she does this, and it makes her extremely uncomfortable. I feel likethere'ss a big difference between a parent violating their kid’s privacy and violating a different kid’s privacy, especially whenthere'ss no reason to suspect anything is wrong in the first place. She has stated this. My girlfriend is having private conversations with me, not my mom, and has stated she has been texting me much differently now and not as personal because she knows that my mom will be reading them without her consent. My girlfriend deserves privacy too, and I feel like that's just something that my momisn'tt considering at all. 

I try logging out of Instagram every night so she can't read them, but sometimes she grabs it before I get the chance to. I'm not trying to hide anything inappropriate from her. I just want to have some level of privacy and be able to have personal conversations without worrying that someone else is going to read them. 

Is there any way I can get my mom to respect that boundary, especially when it comes to conversations with my girlfriend?

I've tried logging out of Instagram every night so my mom can't read my messages, but sometimes she takes my phone before I get the chance to log out. I'm not trying to hide anything inappropriate from her. I just want to have some level of privacy and be able to have personal conversations without worrying that someone else is going to read them.

So, yesturday I got up from bed to see that all my (with time restriction) streaming apps blockes, as I had finished my screen time. So, I go check screen time, to see that the iPhone YouTube app had been used all night. From when I went to bed to when I woke up in the morning. I must make it absolutely clear that I do not know y screen time password and youtube is not an always allowed app on my phone. So, why did this happen, and, more importantly, how will I prove to my parents when they eventually check the screen time that I did not stay up all night??

Pweeeese help me!!!

My iPhone runs iOS 27.

It's an iPhone 16.

Downtime is set from 10.30 to 7.00

Help please

They keep blaming it for everything, I spent more than 5 minutes on an app that I like and they block it immediately, they hear me giggling in my room and they lock my device. What sucks is that I'm turning 18 in a couple months but they're so hyper focused on me and ruining my social life that they've completely overlooked the fact my 9 year old brother spends 12 hours a day with NO screen time limits whatsoever

Stuff they put on my phone:

7 hour screen time limit

Blocked all of my social media until I have to beg them to unblock it but they block it again a couple days later (which sucks because I work part time as a social media manager)

Blocked the apps that I PAY FOR (with my own money from my commissions)

Put a goddamn bedtime earlier than my brother's (who DOESN'T HAVE ONE) knowing damn well that as a college prep student I'd be swamped and commonly staying up to study at night like most teenagers do, ao I'd end up having to whore myself out begging for loose change (around 30 minutes or 1 hour extra)

I try my best to talk to them but theyre so close minded, condescending and and infuriating that they won't LISTEN or understand where I'm coming from and just continues to force their own rules on me or whatever, I just want them to stop, but honestly with the kind of people they are if i actually rebelled they'd probably kick me out or whatever. 😭😭

I wanted to post screenshots but apparently I can't? Links don't seem to work either.🤔

Anyways, she's not meant to be able to use the phone today, global time is set to 5min because she is grounded, yet she managed to not only bypass that, but she's also managed to bypass the usual app restrictions and spend over 2h on tik tok when it is set on 1h30, how?!?

In the TV series Black Mirror, there is an episode about a fictional parental controls program where a microchip is implanted in the child's brain which allows the parent to, among other things, filter which the child sees (so potentially graphic scenes will be blurred out of the child's vision), track everything the child has seen through their eyes (like browser history but instead of websites it's literally what you've seen), and location tracking at all times.

Like I said, it's fictional. But for how much longer? Microchipping kids is literally already a thing, some parents microchip kids so they always know where they are. Didn't know that? Now you do. You must never underestimate the dirty parent pig's lust for power and control. And now with things like neuralink coming out, controlling brain activity using digital devices is becoming easier and easier. As these things become more widespread, it's only a matter of time before the parent demographic opens its filthy lying mouth to bleat "Safety!" over and over until it gets what it wants.

So, we know it's GOING to happen. They're most definitely going to make a parental controls suit that actually controls brain activity, maybe it even controls bodily functions too. And society has not the backbone or courage to stand up and tell the parents no on anything, this will be no different. The only question is, how far out are we? 15 years? 10? 5? Less? Curious to know your thoughts.

Guys what if we all restrict our parents tv's using bark home, to restrict the access of true crime documentaries, a 1hr 30min screentime, no recording new shows, and no paying for subscriptions without asking your child for the pin? I feel like they need it Lol

I have a chromebook that has been inactive for a couple of years.I was stupid enough to put my year of birth and the chromebook turned on parental family link, I am now over the age of 13 and want to access the items on the Chromebook; however, it won't let me sign in without a code. The thing is when the parental lock was turned on, I dont think my mom put a code for it so my device isn't linked and now we can't get into the laptop. Just to note that the chromebook is currently up to date with the time and date but the zone is and always has been registered for the US,while I do not live in the US. Any suggestions? I already asked Google support for help and it was of no use and I posted in rhe Google support community and haven't gotten a response yet. I also tried to message Google Support for Family Link, but I only got an automated message that didn't help.

I'm looking for a program that can block games/executables on my sister's pc, preferably with a schedule or make it easy for me to turn on/off from my computer. A whitelist should work since I only really want her to be able to use google and a few more programs that are important for school. Anyone knows of something like this?

Edit: For context She is neglecting school, for the past 8 weeks she has not turned in a single assignement. Basically already failed 1 class and is bordering failing 4 others. It is for her own good. Additionally my mother doesn't know her way around computers so that's why I have to do it.

Its in the title, will it alert me if my child attempts to delete Norton or simply if its been touched in any way, say by task manager or moved around in the files. This is quite important since my son keeps bypassing it somehow and I don't have enough technical knowledge to run proper tests on this.

weird question, I'll delete if it's not allowed-

I have a friend with an on again off again toxic relationship, and they've asked me to help keep them away from it, keep them from unblocking their ex, etc. But short of physically pulling the phone from their hands and going into their accounts and blocking the person, I can't do much, and once a week or whatever they'll unblock the person, go into a spiral and it'll take days to convince them that blocking their ex is the right move, and then a week later we go through the whole thing again.

I'm wondering if there is some app or website that would put some kind of password or something to stop my friend from unblocking their ex, without them having to make a Facebook teen account - my friend needs to have full access to Facebook/Messenger outside of this one person and I'm not their parent so I'm not interested in actually having access to their private info or anything like that. I just want a password that I could know and they wouldn't know, or like I would need to verify it on my own phone through my own accounts? Or send a two factor code to my phone number?

But this needs to work without restricting my friend's access to all the other aspects of social media.

Basically, is there an app that puts a password or some kind of verification or something on the ability to unblock someone? Or is there a way to set up parental controls where this is the ONLY thing I have access to? Do any of the apps you guys know have this ability? Thanks in advance!

I've been looking into this for my daughter and I feel like almost everything I've found works in one of two ways: block Instagram completely, or let her use Instagram normally but put a time limit on it.
Neither is really what I'm looking for.
I'd much rather let her use the parts she actually wants — messaging friends, following people she knows, searching for something intentionally - but remove the parts that make it so easy to sit there consuming content endlessly.
Basically Instagram without Reels, Explore, autoplay and the infinite recommended feed.
Does anyone know something that can actually do that?
And if you've tried something similar, what were the downsides?
I'm particularly curious about whether kids can easily bypass it and whether it ends up causing constant arguments.

Is anyone aware of a way to control downloading apps on a Samsung Smart TV? My kids are showing signs of extreme screen addiction and are downloading YouTube gamer apps despite the TV being locked under parental codes. Each app has a workaround to set up a standalone PW.

Is this a Samsung thing or a smart TV thing?

I'm never gonna be free

I did everything they wanted me too, I can take care of myself, I keep up with hygiene. I go to bed on time and have never once missed the bus. As the school year gets into October, I still have straight A's and B's, a huge difference from last year.

I'm not missing any assignments, I don't do anything inappropriate on my phone and I let them know about my friends and social life and personal life.

But still, they turned them back on. For the first month of school they weren't on, and I still did great. But now their back. It's like it's mocking me, I don't even care about the time anymore. I don't care about being a moody teen, the idea of the fact that their there just makes me wanna cry.

It's hopeless, it was always hopeless, and I was so so dumb to think I was finally trusted.