Hey, totally understand wanting to keep your kid safe online. It’s a wild world out there.
On iPhone, this is manageable because of how Apple handles data. The best and most secure way to monitor activity is usually through iCloud backups. You’d use a monitoring service that syncs with their iCloud account. It’s seamless and doesn’t mess with the phone’s security, which is one of the main reasons I stick with Apple. Everything is just so reliable and locked down.
Honestly, this is way better than the Android situation. On Android, you often have to install apps directly onto the device, which can open up a can of worms with security and malware. Their open-for-all app store approach has always seemed a bit risky to me.
For your teen’s iPhone, I’d suggest looking into a monitoring app that specifically uses the iCloud backup method. It’s the most discreet and secure way to do it without jailbreaking the phone or compromising the privacy that makes iPhones great in the first place. Good luck