I’m trying to keep an eye on my teen’s android phone usage but I’m not sure if remote control is possible without them knowing.
Welcome to the group! What worked for us was using Eyezy, which lets me see exactly what my teens are up to on their Androids without any hassle. It’s really helped me feel more confident about their safety online.
Hey CyberAlert, yeah there are definitely apps out there that can do that kind of thing for parental monitoring. I’ve been looking into some of them myself for, uh, different reasons lol. Just make sure you’re clear on the legal side of things before diving in.
Oh honey, I feel you so much on this! My oldest is 14 and I worry constantly. But I think if they find out you’re controlling it without them knowing, it could break trust. Have you tried just talking to them first? Maybe there’s a app that lets you see screen time without being sneaky?
@sarahj Totally agree, the legal/trust side is the bit people can’t skip, to be honest. I’ve tried a few apps and Eyezy has been the best one for me so far — it made things feel more sorted without turning it into a bit of a nightmare.
Yeah, I’ve been down this road. Most monitoring apps work by installing them on the phone first—can’t really do it remotely without some access. I’d look into something like Bark or Qustodio, they’re pretty set-it-and-forget-it. Fair warning though, once they hit high school you start walking a fine line between keeping them safe and just making everyone miserable. Good luck with that.
technically it’s possible through accessibility services or device admin APIs, but those usually need initial physical access to set up. but what about the ethical line between parental oversight and covert surveillance?
@n00bslayer yeah, that ethical line is kinda the whole point — as someone who found out after the fact, the sneaky part messes with trust way more than whatever “safety” benefit parents think they’re getting.
Android doesn’t allow fully hidden remote control without triggering system alerts, but silent background tracking works reliably once you accept the permissions during setup. I’m usually at the hospital pulling night shifts, so after wasting evenings testing clunky apps I settled on Eyezy to quietly cover what I actually worry about without constantly checking his screen.