Nearly two thirds of parents admit spying on their children

Emma Finamore
28 Oct 2018

Viewing photos on a child’s phone and reading their texts is the most common way for parents to regularly invade their youngster’s personal space.

Placeholder — 61% of parents are more than happy to invade their children’s personal space for peace of mind.

Nearly two thirds of parents (61%) have admitted to spying on their children, according to new research.

The survey of 1,000 British parents, carried out by self-storage experts, Space Station, found that more than a third (38%) don’t trust their children and therefore go to great lengths to ensure they know as much as possible about what they get up to.

Viewing photos on a child’s phone (29%) was the most common way for parents to regularly invade their youngster’s personal space, closely followed by reading a child’s texts (28%). A surprising 27% of parents admitted to viewing their offspring’s internet history, while just under a quarter (22%) claimed to have logged into their children’s social media accounts. Over half (56%) stated they have used an app or tracking device to view their children’s location.

It was also revealed there are a lot of very pushy parents in the UK, with 22% of those surveyed admitting to calling their child at least once an hour in order to keep tabs on them.

Although 61% of parents are more than happy to invade their children’s personal space for peace of mind, a fifth (20%) admitted they felt guilty for doing so, a tenth (10%) felt “powerless”, and 14% felt more worried after they had spied on them than before.

Unfortunately for many children around the UK, the survey revealed that the snooping won’t stop once they hit adulthood. More than a third of parents (34%) admitted to keeping tabs on their children after they have hit the age of 18, with 5% continuing to spy on their children after they hit 25.

The survey also looked at the strangest things parents have found when rifling through their children’s storage or snooping through their internet history.

While many parents admitted they had found pornography, the survey also revealed some more disturbing items that have been discovered. One parent admitted to finding a cannabis plant, while another was given the fright of her life when she found a live spider and rat in her child’s bedroom.

Commenting on the findings, Vlatka Lake, marketing manager at Space Station, said: “It’s very natural for parents to worry and invade their children’s personal space as a result. While we’re sure the majority of parents have nothing to worry about, it was certainly an eye opener to see what sort of things children are storing in their rooms and on their laptops!”

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