Although teens are minors, they should still have the right to have privacy. If the parent trust the teen, then it should not be necessary for them to invade their privacy. If the teen is not trusted, they should simply just take the phone away. It is also possible to make sure your phone can contact certain numbers only. Also, in my experience as well, the child may feel insecure and uncomfortable with their parent and talking to their friends. They may feel like they could not be trusted, driving the teen away from the parents and harming their relationship. I feel I cannot tell my overprotective father anything and I feel extremely uncomfortable sending a simple text to a friend. I am not saying that I have anything to hide, because I am not a bad daughter. I am a lot more responsible than my parents give me credit for and I'm sure it's the same thing with a lot of other teens. I still do not appreciate him wanting to know everything. Today, the relationship with my father is sadly weak and mostly only because of his over protectiveness and the constant noisiness that he shows. My step mother is different. She gives me more privacy and trust me, and our relationship is strong. It is stronger than my own, real dad. Even though she is my step mom, she gives me privacy and knows how to treat the situation, because I can ask her for help when I need it and I am not afraid to talk to her.