My teen spends hours on Facebook but clams up whenever I ask what’s going on and I know they’re hiding stuff from me. I’ve tried checking their phone when they’re asleep but the app locks everything down tight. Any tips on seeing their activity without them noticing?
Yeah this is pretty common territory here — a few things that actually work in the real world:
What’s realistic:
- Family Link (Google) or Screen Time (Apple) — built right into the OS, shows app usage time, and you can set limits on Facebook specifically without needing to sneak around
- Shared family Google/Apple account — if you set up their device, you may already have access to more than you think
- Your router’s parental controls — most modern routers (or your ISP’s app) log what sites/apps are getting traffic and when
The honest scoop on monitoring apps:
Most require physical access to install anyway, and Facebook specifically encrypts a lot — so even paid apps oversell what they can actually grab from FB.
Real talk though — the “clams up and hides stuff” behavior is usually more worth addressing than the Facebook content itself. A quick “hey I noticed you’re on there a lot, everything okay?” lands better than surveillance and if something’s actually wrong you’ll find out faster. 
What device are they on, Android or iPhone? That changes which built-in tools you’ve actually got available.