Mom Says She Is Entitled To Snoop Through Her Teenage Kids' Phones Because She Pays For Them

A mom has recently divided the internet after she said she's allowed to snoop through her kids' phones because she is the one that pays for them.

Laura Muse, a North Carolina mom has left the internet divided with opinions after stating that she is allowed to go through her kids' phones because she is the one paying for them. 

The mom admitted to confiscating her teenage kids' phones, one 15-year-old son and another 17-year-old daughter before they go to bed so that they can get a good night's sleep instead of being hooked online.

And while most people thought that she also keeps them away and ensures her kids' privacy, they are wrong as the mom also spends some extra time going through them to make sure her teens are behaving.

Alamy

Speaking to The New York Post, the 41-year-old emphasized that because she pays for their phones, she's allowed to do it.

"I own their phones, I pay for the phones. I can go through them whenever I want," she said. "People might think [it] is a sign of disrespect or an invasion of their privacy, but this is how I manage my ship."

What started off as random, weekly checks when her children were around 11 years old carried on well into their teen lives, with the mom-of-two occasionally still asking them for their hand-held devices to look through.

Muse says that she trusts her kids' but goes through their phones in order to keep them from engaging in inappropriate exploits while simultaneously protecting them from online predators and scammers.

However, that doesn't mean the 41-year-old - who is a mental health clinician - hasn't also caught them out. In the past, it was reported that she caught her son, Cohen, posting shirtless pictures of himself online. Of course, the hawk-eyed mama got him to delete the content.

"If I do find something that’s an issue, we talk about it and turn it into a teachable moment," she added. "I’m not perfect, I don’t expect my children to be perfect, but it’s important to keep an eye on things."

TikTok

Well, Muse isn't the only mom who is using controversial parenting methods to keep an eye on their kids.

Other parents have also reverted to snooping through their children's phones to make sure that there's nothing compromising on there.

Some people supported the mom for being vigilant with her kids' safety, but others criticized her for her lack of trust in her kids.

"One thing I will do that my parents did with us was never search my kids phones. They instilled the whole we deserve some amount of privacy," one user wrote to which the mom replied back saying: "Everyone has their own parenting style. I am lenient to an extent. Child p*** is not okay in my book. Down [sic] not matter that they are both minors."

Another commentor said: "Privacy is good, But the internet is DANGEROUS" and again, the unfazed mom replied back saying: "No privacy when I pay his bills."

One outraged mother discovered that her 15-year-old son was sharing explicit pictures of himself with his girlfriend while she looked through his phone at six in the morning.

Using a TikTok sound that stated "I'm going to lose my s*** today", the clip showed her in action scrolling through her teen's phone while rubbing her forehead, clearly frustrated.