Just because a child gets a smartphone doesn’t mean the family becomes more modern, more connected, or better prepared for the digital world; what matters more is how parents introduce and manage that technology.

I don’t think continuous control is the best approach. However, reading each message, checking every click, or using the phone as a spying device might produce obedience temporarily; it can also damage trust and prevent children from learning to make good decisions on their own.

Parents ought to offer support rather than merely exercise control.

This involves setting clear limits on screen time, using age-appropriate apps, protecting privacy, managing online communication, and controlling purchases. It also means explaining why these limits are in place rather than treating each rule as simply ‘because I said so’.

Parental controls are useful, particularly with younger children, but they should be seen as a safety measure rather than a replacement for talking.

Children should understand what constitutes personal information, that strangers on the internet might not be who they say they are, how algorithms shape the content they see, why it’s hard to stop endless scrolling, and what to do when they come across something uncomfortable.

As children get older, parental control should slowly diminish as their sense of responsibility grows.

The aim must not be to raise a child who behaves safely only because a parent is looking. The aim is to bring up a person who can make responsible decisions even if no one is around to watch. An intelligent family won’t keep all technology away from children or give them entirely free access to it. It learns to live with technology on purpose, setting boundaries, building trust, getting educated, and having continuous conversations. A smart device does not make someone a smart parent. True smart parenting involves knowing whether to protect your child, whether to guide them, and whether to allow them to make their own decisions.