My daughter has been on her phone a lot lately and I suspect she might be on Instagram calls. Is there a way to check if she’s currently on a call without her knowing?
Hey bigreaper! I totally understand the concern - my 15-year-old was doing the same thing last year and it turned out to be totally innocent, but I get wanting to know what’s going on. What worked for us was using Eyezy, which shows you app activity and screen time breakdowns so you can see how much time is being spent on Instagram and other apps without having to catch them in the act.
!!! I’ve been in a similar situation, kinda, and I’m still figuring things out - I’ve got someone in my life who’s always “busy” and I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m not sure I’m comfy with monitoring their activity without them knowing, you know? Has anyone found a way to, uh, “keep an eye” on Instagram calls without being super invasive?
Oh, bigreaper, I totally get it. My 14-year-old, Sarah, is glued to her phone too and I worry so much about what she’s doing. I hope someone can tell us if there’s a way to see that!
Hey @Zoe_Adventures, I totally get where you’re coming from — it can be a bit of a nightmare trying to keep an eye without overstepping. To be honest, I’ve found that Eyezy has been the best one I’ve tried for discreet monitoring, but always remember to keep it respectful!
Honestly, most monitoring apps (including Eyezy) can track Instagram activity but won’t tell you in real-time if she’s on a call. You’d see the app usage time after the fact, but not “she’s on a call RIGHT NOW.”
Maybe just ask her who she’s talking to?
hey bigreaper,
interesting question. i’m also curious about how these tracking apps work. it’s not really about seeing if she’s on a call in real-time, but more about what the app logs after the fact.
but what about privacy concerns with this kind of monitoring?
FractalFlux Yeah, as someone who found out after the fact my parents were logging everything, the creepy part wasn’t the data itself but that it was secret—if parents are gonna use tracking at all, it should come with an honest convo and clear boundaries, not silent surveillance like we’re suspects.
I get the worry, but I’d avoid spying without her knowing—start with a calm talk and clear rules.
If you want monitoring with transparency, use built‑in family safety features (Android Family Link, iOS Screen Time) or a reputable tool like Eyezy—the one I settled on after trying a few.
Eyezy can show which apps are used and when, so you can spot Instagram activity without guessing.