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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

AIBU to discuss crude and vulgar texts I saw on her phone?

12 replies

Wheresthetimegone · 07/05/2020 16:09

DD Age 15, nearly 16 very protective over phone, always keeps it locked and spends all her time on it in her room. We have huge daily battles to try to get her downstairs, she simply doesn't want to be around family and rarely opens up to us about anything.
She was bullied at school on a grand scale a couple of years ago. I reported it to the school and for a while School became intolerable for her as "The ringleader" was a very strong, fearless influential character with a huge "following" DD never forgave me for "making things worse for her at school"
DD is a quiet girl, pretty and intelligent. I'm delighted she's made a few friends at a club outside of school albeit that in the main they are boys. She spends most of her time in her room talking to 1 boy - they meet up (used to before lockdown) usually at our home maybe once a week or fortnight.
Phones always been used as a "tool" If she's rude or backchats (often does, she seems full of anger) then the phone gets taken away for a day. I found her old iPhone and decided to sell it and couldn't believe she gave me the access code so I could try to "transfer the stored stuff onto the laptop" I viewed the photos and am distraught.
There's pictures of a chat to "? Some random" on YOLO seems there was 4 girls stating what they were going to do to this "random", Other 3's friends post were silly girlie stuff, my DD's talked about the Big "c@ck" and what she was going to do with it and made reference to her P.... and C... Then Theres lots of pictures from other times of her posing provocatively with the tongue out and Cleave being pushed in an up with her "boyfriend" behind her kissing the neck. Another picture of her with a huge bite on her neck. There's also a picture of her in the mirror pulling her top up (revealing bra) And another one in boyfriends arms smoking ( I do not believe she is smoking and this this was prob a 1 off - boyfriend does smoke)
I'm worried for her that she's giving out the wrong impression and the use of swear and vulgar language seems to flow so very natural when she's on social media. I'm guessing if I had access to her conversations and threads then I would be even more horrified, I don't only a few where she's taken a photo of the thread. Husband wants me to get her down now and have it out with her and take the phone of her indefinitely!!!
I don't know where to go with it all. Is this normal talk for girls this age. She will be furious I have looked at her pictures (and I get that) I don't want to push her further away and feel that speaking about it certainly will however I can't let her think this is the right way to be presenting herself on social media ?

Would you let her know what you've seen ??

OP posts:
endofacentury · 07/05/2020 16:14

Absolutely I would be addressing it with her. I have a 15 and half your old and I would not allow that kind on behaviour online. I'd be reiterating that anything she posts online will follow her and can be seen by anyone and is that really the sort of image she wants to portray of herself. Swearing I can cope with in teen conversations but not P.... and C... that's just my opinion though

BitOfFun · 07/05/2020 16:20

Ignore. Have a general safety chat.

hellosunshine5 · 07/05/2020 16:47

As PP says, I would definitely have a general chat about safety with her but I wouldn’t go telling her the specifics of what you’ve seen/read on her phone as she will be mortified and it will just push her away.

As a side note, I have younger brothers and that sort of language is definitely normal - well I don’t know if normal is the right word, but definitely commonly/casually used - in their friend groups. You’ve said most of her friends are boys so she’s probably just catching on from them...

Dialdownthedrama · 07/05/2020 16:59

Talk to her about internet safety and laws around posting pictures when underage etc but I wouldn't be too worried by the language. It's pretty normal when people are young and exploring sexuality and within peer groups etc.

Andi2020 · 07/05/2020 21:05

I have a 16 and 15 year old what are the words p and c I am a bit naive are they body parts of Male female
I have saw messages on their phones using Male and female body parts and cursing among teenagers in conversations
I have an odd look on 15 year olds phone only 15 in February.
Always advise them about kind of photos not to post even to a bf as they can change quick

Fleetheart · 08/05/2020 18:43

Teenagers seem to swear and use bad language a lot more freely than we did. It is a bit of a showing off thing. I think I would also gonfor the general chat, maybe with examples of something you read in the paper of how someone who did something on social media was exposed! Don’t go on about what you have seen as she won’t ever trust you again but it won’t stop her; she will just become even more secretive

hellosunshine5 · 09/05/2020 18:52

I have a 16 and 15 year old what are the words p and c I am a bit naive are they body parts of Male female

They relate to a certain female body part - I’m sure you can use your imagination from there!

BeetrootRocks · 09/05/2020 18:56

Doesn't sound worse than me and my friends at that age really

If the chat is amongst girls then it's bravado/ jokey/ trying to shock

I get it's horrible for a parent to see and in this day and age with the internet things are much more dangerous as it were

I agree with others who say have a general chat. Internet, coercion, pics being online forever etc etc and not be specific as she will be mortified and unlikely to listen

Mooserp · 09/05/2020 18:59

If she's posting this stuff publicly then you should have a general talk to her. If it's just chat between friends, do nothing. I can't imagine how embarrassed I would have been for my parents to know the things me and my friends did and said at that age.

Rollergirl11 · 10/05/2020 08:48

From what I gather from your OP, the photos you found were just on the phone rather than her actually posting them on social media? Please correct me if I’m wrong. And the screenshot of the YOLO chat, YOLO is an anonymous messaging platform, so anything she has posted on there will not be recognised as coming from her, unless she has purposely identified herself. So while I can understand that what you have found is shocking to you it may be that it’s not as bad as you have assumed and that this isn’t how she is presenting herself on social media.

As others have said a chat with her to discuss social media in general and posting pictures and once a pic is out there it’s out there type thing.

As an aside I hate the anonymous apps that teens are using like YOLO and Telonym and think they are inherently dangerous and encourage attention seeking and validating behaviour. The majority of the messages received on these platforms are negative by nature and a high probability from anonymous strangers. I am lucky as my teen DD thinks they are ridiculous. But she has told me that lots of her friends have YOLO messages asking for body pics that they oblige by putting up on their Snapchat stories. I can’t get my head around this!! These are anonymous messages from anyone!!!! These girls are so desperate for validation that they look “fit” that they’ll accept it from an anonymous app and then publicise it! 🤦‍♀️

Wheresthetimegone · 10/05/2020 23:47

Well I'm so pleased we had a chat. I did mention some of the things I'd seen and she was immediately able to put my mind at rest. The vulgar message I'd seen on YOLO wasn't typed by her (made absolute sense as they were screen shots of the messages ANOTHER friend had typed /sent and put 4 different girls names to each one as a joke, I know the boy in question and it's certainly the sort of thing he'd do) She confirmed she'd never tried a cigarette but had tried a vape, again made complete sense as there seemed to be an unusual lot of smoke in the pic !! She couldn't believe that I actually thought she was capable of typing the message! We've had a really good few days since "the chat" Almost like something's been "unblocked" between us.

OP posts:
ThePianist38 · 16/05/2020 18:29

She fooled you quick 😂😂

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