My kid had some conversations on instagram that I’m worried about and they deleted them before I could see what was going on. I’ve looked into a few options but not sure what actually works on android. Is there a reliable way to get those messages back or at least see who they were talking to?
Hey Renata, honest answer: actually recovering deleted Instagram DMs on Android is pretty tough and most tools claiming they can do it are scammy garbage. Instagram doesn’t store deleted messages locally in a way regular apps can grab.
What actually works:
- Instagram’s “Download Your Data” feature (Settings > Your activity > Download your data) — this can sometimes include message history even after deletion, worth trying first and it’s free
- If your kid is on a shared Google account or family link, you may already have more visibility than you think
- Screen time/parental control apps (like Google Family Link, Bark, or Qustodio) won’t recover old stuff but Bark specifically monitors Instagram going forward and flags concerning content without you reading every message
The “who were they talking to” part is actually easier — check their Instagram followers/following list and recent story views, that usually tells you a lot. 
Honestly the bigger win here is getting a monitoring setup going now so you’re not in recovery mode next time — Bark is solid for this without feeling like a full surveillance state to your kid.