23/09/2026
You bring up their phone, their apps or who they're talking to online, and straight away you hear: "Why don't you trust me?"
It hurts, and it's easy to get defensive. But in most cases your teen isn't really arguing about safety. They want to know you see them as capable and that you're not trying to catch them out.
A digital safety chat goes better when you make it about the internet, not about their character. You can trust your child and still not trust every stranger, scam or algorithm they come across.
Here's what to say instead π Save this for the next time it comes up.
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