How To Monitor Your Child's Text Messages

If you're a parent, then you know how important it is to be able to monitor your children's text messages. After all, it's important to make sure that they're not texting anyone who may be leading them down the wrong path or intending to harm them. While there are various parental control applications out there, the difficulty comes in being able to monitor their texts without your children knowing.

Fortunately, there are some great parental control apps that remain completely hidden on the target device and can be installed in minutes without your child's knowledge.

How To Monitor Your Kid's Text Messages

You will first need to choose a parental control app that offers the features you need, including text message monitoring. Many apps include additional features such as GPS tracking, call logging, and email monitoring, but text message monitoring is essential for keeping tabs on your child's conversations.

For most apps, you will need physical access to the target device for 5 to 10 minutes in order to install the app. After installation, the app enters stealth mode and will run undetectably in the background. You can read their messages with a web-based control panel and will not have to touch their phone again to monitor their activities.

mSpy

mSpy is the best choice to monitor your child's text messages because it can be installed discreetly on their devices and provides an overview of all their communications. It is easy install on any iPhone or Android phone without the child's knowledge and it will silently record all of their texts, call logs, and GPS location data. This information can then be accessed from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection.

mSpy also has many advanced features that can be used to keep your children safe, including the ability to block unwanted contacts and websites, set up alerts for specific keywords, provide geofencing alerts, and view their social media activity.

While 24/7 tech support is available, it's unlikely to be needed. The installation is pretty streamlined, the web-based control panel is intuitive, and mSpy has wide compatibility across every major smartphone and tablet released in the last 10 years.

uMobix

uMobix is the most powerful spy app on the market, but it ranks #2 on this list because it's not quite as user-friendly as mSpy. Where it does have an advantage is in its ability to activate the microphone and camera on the target device to record conversations and activities taking place around the phone. This can be useful if you think your child is in danger and want to know what's going on immediately.

Other features include monitoring for text messages, call logging, GPS tracking, email, keylogging, and all social media including Snapchat, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Tinder, and more. uMobix also has a very strong web-based dashboard that gives you an overview of all the activity taking place on the target device.

uMobix provides 24/7 tech support and has a team of experts on call to help you with any problems you may encounter. The app is compatible with all major smartphones and tablets and is easy to install in less than 5 minutes.

EyeZy

EyeZy is a spy app that just came out this year, but it's already one of the most popular apps for monitoring text messages. It has all the features necessary to keep an eye on your child's conversations, including text message monitoring, call logging, GPS tracking, email monitoring, social media monitoring, and keylogging.

The makers of EyeZy have a long history in the parental control niche, with this app being their current flagship. The main advantages of EyeZy are that it has the widest compatibility of any such app and its developers put a heavy focus on being user-friendly.

EyeZy is the best choice for people that are not comfortable with technology and want something that just works.

Free Alternatives

There are no free options for monitoring text messages on Android devices, but iPhone does have a workaround to accomplish this using their iCloud account. If you know your the Apple ID and password, you can log in to their iCloud account and view their iMessage conversations. However, this will only work if your child is using iMessage and not a different messaging app. Additionally, iCloud only stores the most recent 3,000 messages, so you will only be able to view the most recent conversations.

It can also be helpful to use the built-in parental controls on your child's iPhone. These settings allow you to restrict who your child can talk to and what apps they can use. However, they cannot be used to view your child's existing or view deleted messages.

FAQ

Do I need to jailbreak or root my child's phone to use a spy app?

No, you do not need to jailbreak or root your child's phone. All of the apps on this list can be installed without jailbreaking or rooting.

Can I monitor my child's text messages without them knowing?

Yes, you can monitor your kids without them knowing if you use a spy app. All of the apps on this list will allow you to do this.

Will I be able to see deleted messages?

Yes, all of the apps listed here will allow you to see deleted texts if the app was installed before they were deleted. However, it is important to note that once a message is deleted, it is usually gone for good and cannot be recovered. That's why it's important to have one of these apps installed long before you become concerned about your child.

Can I monitor my child's texts from my own phone?

Yes, all of the software we've discussed is easily accessible from your own phone. You will just log in to the app's web-based dashboard to view the messages. The apps on this list can all be used without installing any software on your own device.

What are the benefits of monitoring your children?

Being able to track what your kids are doing online can help keep them safe from predators, bullies, and other dangers. Additionally, it can help you keep tabs on their whereabouts and make sure they are not engaging in risky behaviors.

Are there any risks associated with monitoring your kids?

Yes, there are some risks associated with trying to track text messages on your child's phone. For example, if your child catches you spying, or trying to track, their Android or iPhone, they may feel offended and have a tendency to not trust you in the future. Additionally, if you overreact to a situation they are handling responsibly, it could give the impression that you do not trust them or have confidence in their judgment. However, these risks should be minimized by being open and honest with your child about why you want to track their text messages and using the information you gather responsibly.

What should you do if you find something inappropriate?

If you find something alarming, the best course of action is to talk to your child about it. Try to remain calm and avoid judgmental or accusatory language. Instead, focus on helping your children understand why what they are doing is harmful and offer support in making better choices in the future.

Legality

Monitoring your kids is legal in most countries, however, you should check the laws in your specific jurisdiction to ensure that you are not breaking any rules. In some cases, parents may have to get written consent from their kids before they can start monitoring their cell phone. This largely depends on how old your child is and who owns the target device. You should consult a lawyer about your specific circumstances.

Conclusion

Monitoring your kids time online is a helpful way to ensure their safety from predators, bullies, and other dangers. However, it is critical to use this information wisely and not let your child catch you spying on them. If you do decide to monitor your kids' text messages, we recommend using one of the apps on this list.

About The Author

Katya Seryabkina

Ukrainian born, and a self-taught computer security expert. I started hacking when I was 14 and can write code in 5 languages, but have no formal technical education. The edge of technology is what keeps me interested. I cover cell phone tracking, spy apps, cybersecurity, the dark web, and certain gadgets for The High Tech Society.