Mum says she should be allowed to go through her kids phones because she pays for them

"I own their phones, I pay for the phones."

Every night, Laura Muse wishes her teenage son Cohen good night, before taking his smartphone out of his bedroom so that he gets a good night’s sleep.

Whilst this might sound like nothing more than a slightly strict parenting technique, it’s what she sometimes does next that’s controversial.

Laura routinely goes through the phones of both Cohen and her teenage daughter Kylie, to check who they’re talking to and what they’re doing on social media.

Speaking to the New York Post back in 2022, she said: “I own their phones, I pay for the phones. I can go through them whenever I want.

“People might think it’s a sign of disrespect or an invasion of their privacy, but this is how I manage my ship.”

She’s been tracking her children’s devices ever since they got them aged 11. This started off as surprise weekly inspections, and whilst the kids were initially reluctant to do so, they now accept its part of the deal of having the devices.

As they’ve got older, the checks have become rarer as she’s started to trust her kids more, with the checks only taking place a few times a year.

Both Cohen and Kylie are star athletes with huge followings now, and Laura reckons it’s her snooping that has helped them steer clear of inappropriate online activity and falling victim to predators or scammers.

But she has found material in the past that she deemed unacceptable.

For example, when she found a topless picture of Cohen that he had shared on Instagram with some rude language, she immediately told him to delete it.

Laura says that she thinks her monitoring of the phones has strengthened her bond with her kids though.

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