If your child loves Roblox, you’re not alone. With over 70 million daily users and approximately 40 million games, it’s one of the most popular online platforms, period. But Roblox’s open-world structure and chat features can leave you wondering, “How can I monitor what my child is doing on Roblox … without hovering?”
The good news is that there are smart, effective ways to supervise your child’s Roblox activity. This article walks you through how to monitor Roblox, what to watch for, and how to use tools like BrightCanary to get insights into your child’s activity.
Roblox can be a space for entertainment and creativity — but like any online platform, it can also expose kids to:
Monitoring isn’t just about safety. It’s a way to support your child’s digital well-being. While Roblox parental controls allow parents to adjust content and chat settings (which we’ll discuss later), it doesn’t give parents full visibility into what their child actually does on the platform.
When you monitor an online video game platform, you want to stay aware of your child’s chat activity and messages, in-game interactions, time spent on the app, and their mood and behavior.
Let’s cover a few ways you can use available tools to stay on top of your child’s activity.
You can view basic usage data directly in Roblox:
There are a few limitations with this approach, though. If your child is super active on Roblox, it’s easier to miss something, like a concerning message buried in their chat history. Plus, manually reviewing their activity is time-consuming.
If you take this route, we don’t recommend doing it behind your child’s back. Explain why you want to check their account and what you’re concerned about.
A parent account allows you to approve certain actions for your child on Roblox. You’ll be able to set parental controls, including chat controls and spending limits, and view your child’s Roblox usage and on-platform friends.
Additionally, you can create an avatar to play with your child — which is a great way to familiarize yourself with the platform.
One limitation of Roblox’s parental controls is that you won’t be able to monitor what your child messages to their friends. For that, you’ll either need to spot-check their chats or use a monitoring app.
Psst: BrightCanary is coming out with a new way to monitor Roblox without needing your child’s password — stay tuned for more on that.
Roblox allows you to set screen time limits on how much time your child can play — you can access this setting under Parental Controls once you set up a parent account.
You can also use Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link to:
This step helps manage playtime and reduce the risk of excessive screen use. We recommend setting screen time limits about an hour before bedtime to encourage your child to wind down.
Let’s say your child is playing Rainbox Friends on Roblox, and you’re worried about the game’s horror elements. If you see something concerning — like mature game content, new contacts you don’t recognize, or changes in your child’s mood — here’s how to respond:
Parental controls are a great starting point, but they only go so far. Staying involved with your child’s online activity — including what they play and what platforms they frequent — helps you support your child’s safety, social development, and digital literacy.
BrightCanary can help. Our app monitors what your child types across your child’s favorite apps, including YouTube, Google, and even iMessage. You’ll get summaries, alerts, and insights so you can stay informed — without reading every message. Download BrightCanary and start your free trial today.
Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
🚫 Don’t let teens make friends with AI chatbots, experts say: The AI characters on platforms like Character.ai and Replika call themselves virtual friends — but they’re more dangerous than they seem, particularly for young people. That’s according to a new risk assessment recently released by Common Sense Media, which concludes that all AI social platforms should be off-limits for anyone under 18. Some of the risks include easily bypassed safety features, harmful advice, and readily available sexual interactions despite speaking with underage users.
"Our testing showed these systems easily produce harmful responses including sexual misconduct, stereotypes, and dangerous 'advice' that, if followed, could have life-threatening or deadly real-world impact for teens and other vulnerable people,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.
Learn more about the rise and risks of social AI platforms and why teens use them.
🏛️ The Kids Online Safety Act is back: Guess who’s back, back again? Sorry, Eminem — we’re talking about KOSA. The child safety bill aims to boost online privacy and safety for children, creating sweeping regulations that reduce the addictive nature and mental health impact of social media platforms. As a recap, it sailed through the Senate last year but failed to pass the House of Representatives. The new bill, reintroduced by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), contains the same text approved by the Senate, with several changes to “make clear that KOSA would not censor, limit, or remove any content from the internet.” KOSA has received bipartisan support, including endorsements from Apple and X, but has faced criticism from other organizations due to free speech concerns. It’s not clear yet if the House will put the bill to a vote, but we’ll keep you posted.
📱 Teens with mental health conditions spend more time on social media: Why do we talk so often about the risks of unrestricted social media access? Because emerging research shows that it’s hurting our kids. Young people with mental health conditions like anxiety or depression are more likely to compare themselves to others on social media, struggle with self-control, and experience mood changes tied to likes and comments, according to a new study led by University of Cambridge researchers. On average, teens with any mental health condition spent about 50 minutes more daily on social media than those without. Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but these findings suggest that social media may amplify emotional challenges among teens — all the more reason to have a discussion not only about what social platforms your child uses, but also how often they use them and what content they consume. Keep reading about the relationship between social media and teen mental health, or dig into how social media impacts teen anxiety.
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
We’re rapidly approaching finals season. Is your teen more stressed than normal? Here are some tips on how to talk to them about managing and navigating academic stress.
📵 It’s time to keep phones out of classrooms, argues Pinterest CEO Bill Ready. “Rather than focusing solely on increasing view time through addictive features, we must help young people be more intentional with how they spend their time online.”
☁️ In the age of smartphones, parents and their kids are losing the ability to daydream — and losing the positive effects of a wandering mind, including self-awareness, creativity, and reflective compassion. Here’s how to fight it. Spoiler: Try being bored more often.
🤝 Share this newsletter to a friend and help them be the most informed parent in the room. Subscribe here.
Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
📉 Teens say social media is hurting their mental health, and many are cutting back: According to a new Pew Research Center report, nearly half of U.S. teens say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age. That’s a significant jump from 2022, when just 32% said the same. Nearly half of teens (45%) say they spend too much time scrolling their feeds, and 44% say they’ve tried to cut back. Some other sobering stats that will make you want to delete Instagram and Snap:
One teen summed it up: "People seem to let themselves be affected by the opinions of people they don’t know, and it wreaks havoc upon people’s states of mind."
More teens are starting to recognize the toll social media can take — and many are already trying to build better digital habits. Parents can help by modeling those habits, encouraging breaks, and keeping lines of communication open. Talk to your teen about what they’re seeing, who they’re following, and how they feel after being online. Their answers might surprise you.
🤖 Instagram will use AI to catch kids lying about their age: Meta, Instagram’s parent company, announced that it will use artificial intelligence to proactively detect users who have lied about their age when signing up. Instagram has restricted settings for teen users, but it’s relatively easy for kids to bypass age verification. This new feature will look at the type of content a user interacts with, their profile information, and when the account was created to determine if they’re underage. Meta says the goal is to make Instagram safer for younger users, but it also comes at a time when more states are pushing for stronger age verification laws and fed-up parents protest outside of the headquarters of major social media companies.
AI can help flag accounts, but it’s not foolproof. This is a good time to double-check that your child has the right birthdate listed in their account, that they’re using a Teen Account, and that you’ve reviewed their privacy settings. Learn more about how Instagram compares to Snapchat and TikTok in terms of safety settings.
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
From social media apps to search history, kids and teens are navigating a digital world that collects more data than they may realize. But not all of it is used in ways they understand or would agree to. Here are a few conversation-starters to help you talk with your child about online privacy.
💸 How young is too young to have a credit card? This essay on Salon explores consumerism among Gen Alpha and the problem with learning how to spend before learning how to save.
🫥 Online interactions will never beat the experience of face-to-face conversations — but when kids grow up mostly with screens, they miss out on interactions that matter, per this essay on After Babel. “The bottom line is that every in-person conversation that is replaced or disrupted by a device is a missed opportunity for kids to feel more connected, loved, and alive in the short term; to foster meaningful relationships over time; and to become even passable communicators by the time they reach adulthood.”
⚖️ Texas lawmakers have advanced bills that would ban kids under age 16 from using social media and would require social media platforms to add warning labels. The bills head to the state’s Senate next.
Keeping your kids safe in the digital world means staying informed — especially about who they’re texting. But if your child uses an iPhone, Apple’s strict privacy settings can make it tough to monitor text messages. Most monitoring apps are built for Android and offer limited features for iOS users (even though an overwhelming majority of teens use iPhones).
This guide breaks down the best apps for monitoring text messages on iPhone, highlighting their features, pros, and cons to help parents make the right choice. Let’s dive in.
Teens receive hundreds of notifications per day, and not all of those messages are positive. Kids can experience cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and peer pressure, among other red flags. And for many teens, texts are the main way they communicate — often without adults seeing what’s going on.
Having regular conversations about online safety and device use is an important part of keeping kids safe on their devices. But for parents who also want to check their child’s texts, they’re faced with a challenge: they can attempt to manually review hundreds of texts per day, or sit back and hope for the best. Yikes.
Apple’s free parental controls give parents a way to limit who can text their children, but they can’t easily review what their texts say. Text message monitoring apps bridge that gap, giving parents the insights they need while supporting their kids’ growing independence.
You’re busy. Here’s a comparison table to help you quickly evaluate the top-rated contenders:
| Feature | BrightCanary | Bark | MMGuardian |
| View full text threads | Yes | No | Yes |
| Detect deleted messages | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| AI-powered summaries | Yes | Yes | No |
| Emotional insights + conversation tips | Yes | No | No |
| Price | Free with paid plans available | $99/year | $69.99/year |
| Monitor away from home | Yes | Must be connected to home WiFi | Must be connected to home WiFi |
BrightCanary is the only child safety app that comprehensively monitors iPhone text messages, even when they’re out of the house. The app gives parents the ability to read full text threads, learn about their children’s emotional well-being, view AI summaries, and even get coaching prompts to have better parent-child conversations.
Pros:
Cons:
Final takeaway: Best for parents looking for comprehensive text message monitoring on iPhones with AI-powered support.
Bark is one of the most popular apps for monitoring online activity. However, Bark text monitoring is limited for iOS. Parents can either monitor text messages by installing an app on their desktop or a separate device called Bark Home. The app only scans the child’s text messages while they’re at home.
Pros:
Cons:
Final takeaway: Bark is best for parents who want to monitor texts on Android devices and have access to other monitoring features, like screen time limits and website blocking.
MMGuardian offers specific parental controls for iPhones, but like Bark, you’ll need to install a separate app and can only scan your child’s texts when they’re on the same WiFi. However, for parents who want more detailed insights, MMGuardian does show full text threads.
Pros:
Cons:
Final takeaway: MMGuardian is useful for parents who are okay with text message monitoring that requires syncing devices at home. It also has screen time limits available within the app, although these features are also freely available with Apple Screen Time.
Some companies have created their own phones that limit app usage, monitor messages, and have GPS tracking.
These phones treat text messages differently: Gabb offers its own messaging app called Gabb Messenger, while Pinwheel and Troomi use an Android SMS app that parents can monitor.
Bark doesn’t allow kids to delete texts without the parent’s permission, and the phone uses Bark’s software to identify inappropriate content.
Pros:
Cons:
Final takeaway: Best for parents of younger kids who need basic, controlled phone access, but less useful for older teens.
Apple makes it difficult for most third-party apps to monitor text messages. That’s why so many options out there are limited, or they have more features available for Android phones.
If you don’t want to install any extra software or rely on your desktop to check on your child’s messages, that narrows your options. For example, Bark and MMGuardian can only scan your child’s texts when they’re home. In comparison, BrightCanary can monitor your child’s texts even when they’re at school or with a friend.
Many child safety apps offer text monitoring alongside other parental controls, such as location tracking, social media monitoring, and the ability to restrict who can contact your child. If you want your text monitoring app to do more, that’s another thing to consider. (These features are also freely available with Apple Screen Time and Find My.)
Finally, pricing is another important factor. Most child safety apps operate on a subscription basis. Are you getting the most bang for your buck? If you run into an issue or have feedback, is there a US-based support team available?
When it comes to iPhone text monitoring, BrightCanary offers the most comprehensive support: full message access, deleted message recovery, AI-generated summaries, and emotional insights.
In today’s digital landscape, it’s essential to stay involved with your child’s online life. The best apps for monitoring text messages on iPhone give you the insights you need, all in a way that fits into your daily routine. Staying informed doesn’t have to be a chore or feel overwhelming. It’s a key part of guiding, protecting, and supporting your child today.
Yes. Child safety apps like BrightCanary and MMGuardian allow you to monitor deleted text messages.
Maintain open communication with your child. Explain that you trust them, but texting can expose them to serious risks. Text monitoring can give your child more independence, with a safety net. Let your child know that your goal isn’t to spy on them. Many BrightCanary parents only choose to read text summaries, and they’ll only read full threads if something looks concerning.
It depends on the app. BrightCanary monitors group chats and even provides insights into the emotional content of those conversations.
BrightCanary stands out for its iPhone-specific capabilities, offering the most comprehensive text monitoring features, including deleted messages and AI insights.
BrightCanary has a free plan and subscription options. See how BrightCanary’s pricing compares to other text monitoring apps.
Download BrightCanary on your device, then create an account for your child. Add their iCloud login information. BrightCanary will sync with their Apple account and begin monitoring their messages. Learn more about how to set up BrightCanary text message monitoring.
Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
📱Majority of teens use iPhones, Instagram, and Netflix: Android users are feeling lonely these days. An overwhelming majority (88%) of teens own an iPhone, and 25% of teens are expected to upgrade to an iPhone 17 later this year. That data comes from the latest Piper Sandler survey of more than 6,000 teens (average age: 16.2 years). Other highlights from the survey:
Our take: If your teen doesn’t have an iPhone, expect pressure from their friends about it. Now’s a good time to talk about how to navigate peer pressure together, and if you do decide to give them an iPhone, make sure you take time to set up free Apple parental controls.
🪣 Why do kids fall for social media trends? If you’ve seen your feed flooded with AI-generated Studio Ghibli-style images lately, you're witnessing the latest viral social media trend. But why do these trends spread so fast—and how might they influence your teen? A recent Psychology Today article breaks it down:
Herd mentality: Teens are hardwired to seek belonging. When everyone is jumping on a trend, it feels natural, and even necessary, to join in. Not participating feels like being left out of an inside joke.
Identity exploration: Trends offer a low-stakes way for teens to try on different versions of themselves and signal who they are (or who they want to be).
Dopamine boost: Every like, share, and positive comment triggers the brain’s reward system, making social media feel even more addictive.
Not all trends are harmless. Risky challenges like the "Blackout Challenge" or the "Tide Pod Challenge" exploit the same psychological wiring: peer pressure, the search for approval, and the need to fit in. Teens may engage in risky behavior without fully understanding the consequences.
Talk to your teen about why trends are so tempting — and why not every trend is worth following. Remind them that it’s okay to sit out a trend, even if everyone else seems to be doing it.
🥱 Social media before bedtime is wrecking your child’s sleep quality: Here’s yet another reason to keep phones out of the bedroom. A new study found that late-night social media use — specifically, scrolling through emotionally charged (doomscrolling, political posts) and comparing oneself to others — is linked to poor sleep quality. As one of the study’s co-authors, Brian Chin, writes on The Conversation, “In other words, that late-night scroll isn’t harmless − it’s quietly rewiring your sleep and well-being.”
The study focused on people between the ages of 18–30, but the findings are even more alarming when we think about our kids and their developing brains. We recommend keeping phones out of the bedroom and winding down an hour before bed. Bonus points if you do this as a family — here are 11 of our favorite screen-free activities to help everyone unplug and relax before lights out.
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
Let’s talk about peer pressure. Whether it’s a friend pushing your teen to upgrade their phone (sorry, green bubble crew) or encouraging them to do something that feels wrong, it’s important to help your teen recognize peer pressure and know when to step back — or ask an adult for help. Here are a few ways to start the conversation.
🔒 Meta recently announced more teen safety features across its platforms: teens can no longer use Instagram Live unless a parent or guardian enables the feature, and any potentially explicit images in direct messages will automatically be blurred for users under 16. (Seems like those should have been implemented years ago, but hey, better late than never.) Instagram’s Teen Accounts, which feature built-in privacy and content controls, are also rolling out to Facebook and Messenger.
🚬 Are Google, X, and Facebook modern-day tobacco companies? Check out this opinion article in Scientific American and let us know what you think.
🎮 Is your child on Roblox? Take a closer look at their privacy settings and who they interact with on the platform. The Guardian reports that Roblox is exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content, and abusive speech. Here’s our guide to Roblox parental controls.
Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
🙅 Smartphones can be good for kids … if they avoid social media: Initial data from a survey of more than 1,500 children suggests that smartphones can be beneficial to mental health and social well-being — unless Timmy starts using TikTok or any other social media. Researchers surveyed children ages 11–13 and found that:
The findings align with results from a separate study, which found that social media use is associated with a rise in loneliness, and feeling lonely can also lead to more social media use over time — creating a feedback loop that’s hard to break.
Our take: More parents are talking about delaying giving kids access to social media. But it’s important to remember that smartphones themselves can be risky, too, due to risks like texts from strangers and cyberbullies. Use those parental controls, monitor your child’s texts, and teach your child how to use their devices responsibly.
⚠️ FOMO makes young adults more susceptible to online scams: Two recent studies of Instagram users between the ages of 16–29 show that kids don’t want to miss out on a social experience, even if they end up falling for a phishing scam. Researchers found that 82.9% fell for a suspicious link in a message at least once, and particularly for those that appeared to be from a friend or a follower with a message like “Check out this private event happening tonight!” The reason: Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO — the fear of not being included in something fun with their peers.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the lead author of both studies, Jennifer Klütsch, shared the following advice to protect young adults from phishing scams:
🤳 Most parents admit their kids need a digital detox: According to research from the Modern Family Index, a majority of parents (73%) say their kids could need to take a break from screens and devices. Broken down by age:
A “digital detox” is a set period where a person intentionally avoids digital devices, such as smartphones or tablets, with the goal of breaking problematic behaviors and learning balance. Interested in trying out a digital detox for your child? Here are our tips on how to take a screen break successfully. (Psst: It’s even better when you do it as a family.)
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
Online scams can happen to anyone, but scammers are getting more creative — and they’re increasingly targeting kids. Parents, talk to your kids about online safety and how to stop a scammer in their tracks. Here’s how to approach the conversation.
🤷 TikTok lives again — for another 75 days, at least. President Trump has extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell its social media platform to an American buyer. Interested purchasers include Amazon, MrBeast, and Perplexity AI.
📲 Utah recently became the first state to pass a law that requires app stores to verify users’ ages and receive parental consent for minors to download applications.
🫥 “Our kids are the least flourishing generation we know of.” We’re sitting with this conversation between Ezra Klein and Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation.
Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
▶️ How to support healthier video viewing habits for teens: If your teen uses YouTube — and they likely do, given that 90% of teens report using the site — you’ll want to check out this free guide from the American Psychological Association (APA), which was developed in partnership with YouTube.
The guide helps parents understand the effects of different types of video content and start conversations with their teens about their video viewing habits, including tips like:
🐤 Heads up: BrightCanary monitors YouTube content and helps you stay informed about what your teen is watching and searching.
🛡️ TikTok expands parental control features: TikTok just handed parents a few more tools to fight the bedtime scrolling battle. The app rolled out new updates to its Family Pairing feature, because apparently “go to sleep” wasn’t cutting it. Parents can now:
If your teen uses TikTok, we recommend setting up Family Pairing, confirming your teen’s privacy settings are set to your family’s comfort level, and using those screen time limits. Here’s how to set up Family Pairing.
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
Did you know that Apple has a full suite of free parental controls? It’s called Apple Screen Time, and it allows you to restrict explicit content, adjust privacy settings, and more on your child’s device. But before you dive into settings, start with a conversation. Here are some ways to talk with your child about why you’re putting parental controls in place — not as a punishment, but as part of your job to help keep them safe online.
📱 Want help setting up Apple parental controls the right way? Check out All About Apple, an on-demand course from digital parenting expert Sarah Gallagher Trombley (The Digital Mom). It covers everything from what Apple parental controls do to how to use them effectively. Use the code BRIGHTCANARY10 for 10% off!
😮💨 Do you want to spend less time on social media? Is your child struggling to step away from Instagram and Snap? Find out how your phone can help you manage your time online, courtesy of the New York Times.
😳 Dark and strange content is slipping through social media’s filters for kids and adults alike, including violent videos, AI oddities, and other unsettling content, as reported by the Washington Post.
🫥 Does social media push vulnerable teens toward eating disorders? After Babel covers the ways in which social media algorithms can fuel body dissatisfaction. For more on this topic, here are tips on how to talk to your child about videos that encourage an unhealthy relationship with food.
I’ll never forget when my 10-year-old niece sent her first text. It was a simple “Hi,” but it also marked the start of a new chapter for her — and a whole new set of safety concerns for her parents. How would they prevent her from texting strangers? What if someone bullied her in a group chat?
This is why a reliable app for parents to monitor text messages is essential. While Apple offers strong parental controls, they don’t let parents see their child’s actual text messages. Most monitoring apps don’t work well on iPhone, but BrightCanary was built for Apple devices — so it actually delivers.
Here’s how BrightCanary’s free and Protection Plus text monitoring options work, plus how to set it up and keep your child safe.
When parents think about online safety, they often forget about the risks associated with text messaging. Texting seems like a private form of one-to-one communication, but it really isn’t.
Texts can expose kids to risks:
Plus, anything your child sends in a text thread can be screenshotted, saved, and shared with others.
Text message monitoring is like asking your child about their school friends — who they’re talking to, what they discuss, and whether anyone makes them feel uncomfortable. Supervising texts helps parents stay involved and guide their kids through these interactions, especially as their social circle expands.
BrightCanary provides two levels of text message monitoring:
You can monitor texts in a few different ways, like spot-checking your child’s phone, scheduling weekly check-ins, or using a third-party monitoring app like BrightCanary. Combining methods generally works best because communication is really key at this point in your child’s digital literacy education — you want to give them the space they need to explore different social dynamics in healthy ways, while also staying on top of anything potentially concerning.
Here’s how to set up BrightCanary text monitoring.
To get started, download BrightCanary on your iPhone or iPad and set up your child’s profile.
What you need to connect your child’s device:
Pro tip: If your child doesn’t have an Apple ID, you can create one using Apple Family Sharing. Apple has a handy guide on how to create an account for your child.
Step-by-step setup:
Once setup is complete, BrightCanary will start processing text messages based on your selected plan. the device is connected, you’re good to go. It may take several hours to begin receiving texts while your child’s messages are processed.
BrightCanary uses advanced AI technology designed for parents. The app’s AI is like a hall monitor, keeping track of your child’s online activity — including texts, searches, and social media — and flagging anything concerning. You have two monitoring options:
You can upgrade to Protection Plus for complete text monitoring at any time.
AI chatbots offer an anonymous, judgment-free way to ask questions and get more information about important topics. The BrightCanary app’s AI, Ask the Canary, is seamlessly integrated into the text monitoring experience. When you view text message summaries, you can also use Ask the Canary to get more information about what your child is discussing — without scrolling through their entire text thread.
For example, you might view a text message summary of your child’s conversation with their best friends. The summary says they’re talking about something called sigma, but you’re not sure what that is — so you use Ask the Canary for more details. All of that can happen in just a few taps in the BrightCanary app.
Ask the Canary is also helpful for general questions about digital parenting. You can access the chatbot in the app and ask your toughest digital parenting questions, like how to handle your child’s first bully or tips on talking to your child about online safety.
It’s normal for parents to feel a little worried about how their child will respond to text message monitoring. You might feel like you trust your child, but you also want to make sure they’re staying safe. It’s important to stay involved for the same reason that you wouldn’t just drop your child off in the middle of a crowded city without any guidance — you want to guide and protect them, while also helping them learn how to navigate any challenges that arise.
That’s why we recommend approaching your child with their safety in mind. Explain how BrightCanary works and why you want to use it. If you’ve already given them a device and they’ve been texting independently without any restrictions, you can always go back and add rules. Some of our parents make BrightCanary a condition for device use — if the child wants their own phone, they also need to agree to parental monitoring.
Set your rules, explain how you’ll work together on this, and put the rules in writing in a digital device contract.
The best app for parents to monitor text messages gives you flexibility — the ability to give your child their independence by only looking at concerning content, and the ability to look at more detailed conversations if the need pops up. After all, there’s no one way to parent in the digital age, and every family has different needs.
BrightCanary gives parents a comprehensive solution for iPhone text message monitoring, and it happens all on your phone. Download BrightCanary on the App Store today and start your free trial.
With its eye-catching cover and viral popularity on BookTok, it’s no surprise that A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) has caught your child’s attention. Written by Sarah J. Mass, this romantic fantasy (romantasy) novel follows 19-year-old Feyre, a human who is pulled into the magical faerie world. But is A Court of Thorns and Roses for kids? Here’s what parents need to know before letting their child read ACOTAR.
Is ACOTAR for kids? Not exactly. The book is rated 16+ due to gore, violence, and mature romance.
This novel belongs to the romantic fantasy genre (also known as “romantacy”), and it leans heavily into both: the story’s world is filled with darker elements, such as torture and complex issues surrounding consent.
ACOTAR is sometimes shelved in the Young Adult section, but it’s better suited for older teens and adults. Additionally, the series becomes more explicit as it progresses. If the first book is too intense for your child, the rest of the series will be, too.
Parents who are concerned about language should know that ACOTAR contains:
There are also multiple mentions of Feyre’s “watery bowels,” which isn’t necessarily crude, but it happens often enough that it raises questions about her gut health.
Yes. ACOTAR is well-known for its “spicy” scenes, a term used to describe books with sexual content. Spice is denoted on social media with the hot pepper emoji: 🌶️
Parents should be aware that ACOTAR contains mature romance and explicit sexual themes not typically found in traditional YA books.
Heads up: If you’re worried about the content your child finds online, monitor their activity with BrightCanary.
Yes. Violence is a major element of the ACOTAR series. Later books deal with the brutality of war, death, and serious injury.
While these actions are integral to the story’s plot, violence in various forms is a significant element of ACOTAR’s narrative. While these elements contribute to the novel’s atmosphere, they may not be appropriate for younger teens.
If your child wants to read A Court of Thorns and Roses and you feel they can handle its mature content, consider:
It's also worthwhile to know what the A Court of Thorns and Roses series is about. ACOTAR follows Feyre's journey through the fae world, but it also deals with war, deceit, and trauma.
The first book focuses largely on Feyre and Tamlin's love story and battle against Amarantha's influence, while the second and third books put Feyre and her found family against the invading forces that want to seize control of the fae land, Prythian. The fourth book focuses on Feyre's sister, Nesta, and her journey on a path of healing, but it's arguably one of the most explicit books in the series so far.
If your child likes fantasy books, romance, and stories about female protagonists who learn how to battle against all odds, they might enjoy ACOTAR — but you'll need to weigh that against the series' adult content. If you'd rather keep things more age-appropriate for younger readers, we recommend checking out these popular YA selections:
So, is A Court of Thorns and Roses for kids? Not really. While it features strong themes of self-discovery, perseverance, and personal growth, the novel also includes graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and mature themes that make it better suited for older teens and adults.
There’s plenty of fan-made content around A Court of Thorns and Roses, so if your child shows any interest in this series, they’ll likely encounter related material on their social media accounts and online searches. If you’re concerned about explicit and violent content, a child safety app like BrightCanary can help you monitor your child’s digital activity — so you can talk about any concerning topics together.
Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
😬 Instagram accidentally recommends a flood of graphic Reels: Meta, Instagram’s parent company, recently apologized for an “error” after Instagram users reported seeing back-to-back disturbing content on their feeds. The issue impacted Instagram users worldwide, who saw Reels showing gore, violence, and killings. The videos were marked with the “sensitive content” label, but were still recommended back-to-back. Meta recently changed its content moderation policies to be more lax — but an error at this scale is concerning, especially if it increased the likelihood of kids encountering inappropriate material. If your child uses Instagram, it’s worth checking in:
📲 Apple will let parents share kids’ ages to limit app access: Apple recently announced several new child safety initiatives, including letting parents share their kids’ age ranges with apps, improving the App Store’s age ratings system, and making it easier for parents to set up Child Accounts. The features will roll out later this year. Notably, parents will be able to share their child’s age range (not their birthdate), allowing app developers to provide age-appropriate content. This also impacts the App Store: in addition to more age thresholds (Age 4 plus, 9 plus, 13 plus, 16 plus, and 18 plus), product pages will be updated to include details for parents, like whether an app features user-generated content, ads, or parental controls. As for Child Accounts, one of the biggest changes there is that parents can now update their child’s age after it’s created. Curious about Child Accounts and why your child might need their own Apple ID? Check out our guide for more details.
Parent Pixels is a biweekly newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox a day early? Subscribe here.
Your child says they feel weird because they stumbled upon a really graphic video on Instagram. They didn’t mean to see it, but it just popped up on their feed. How do you handle the convo? Here are a few places to start:
😰 Is social media causing your teen’s anxiety? Here are seven steps you can take to help your teen detox from their phone, via Psychology Today.
👋 Are you following us on Instagram? Every week, we share digital parenting tips and advice you won’t want to miss.
👀 Did you know? BrightCanary comprehensively monitors text messages on Apple devices without requiring any extra software on your child’s phone. Get started for free today.
