The trick is whether or not he’s a true believer in the rules you promulgate. If he’s not, he may find ways around them, and you probably don’t want to foster a

The trick is whether or not he’s a true believer in the rules you promulgate. If he’s not, he may find ways around them, and you probably don’t want to foster a game of cat and mouse with your child lest they end up resenting you. Not YOU, specifically. I’m speaking in general terms, and somewhat from experience. When I was in high school we barely had smartphones. A friend of mine had a Windows Mobile 6 device, some kids had Blackberry devices. The iPhone had just come out. Devices were somewhat less personal back then so my experiences may not be practically replicable today, but back in the day I would lend my phone to my friends at the end of the school day if they had been grounded and their phone taken away. Again, that was almost 20 years ago (dear god), but there’s something to be said for the unchecked determination of a teenager in search of a gadget. I don’t necessarily disagree with your stance, nor am I criticizing you. For every watchful parental eye, there’s always a bit of sleight of hand. It’s the way of so many of us here, and likely something passed on to the kids of many of us here.