November 8 at 12:52pm · I get really frustrated when I hear parents say things like, "Well, you can't keep them off XYZ app" or "They are gonna find XYZ online anyway." Parents. You are in charge. It's possible to set your values and intentions and then follow through with what you allow. You don't want them on YouTube? DIsable it on their phone. Don't want them surfing the web? Remove the browser. Worried about them looking at porn using instagram hashtags? (Yes that's a thing.) Take it off their phone. They are on their phone too much? Take it away for a while. Phones and apps are a privilege, not a right. I think every parent has the right to choose what they allow their kids to engage with, but I get stabby when they act like they don't have any agency in the matter. We are the grown-ups. It's a new frontier in this digital age and kids need supervision and boundaries as they figure out impulse control and balance. In the same way that you wouldn't offer a cabinet full of candy at your home and then throw your hands up in the air as if you are powerless to their eating habits. Be in charge of what they can access.