Are our cell phone texts private?!

[pkid]

Ok. One of my friends said that she doesn't want to send me things like pictures or bad text messages through her cell phone because her parents could find out/know what she sends and receives through her phone. Well my question is can our parents really see what we text or a multi-media text to one another? I'm scared because my friends and I text bad things including pictures

[Underground_Network]

A) Wrong area.

B) Technically speaking, yes. But unless your parents are very technologically savvy and understand the complexities of cell phones, they probably can't.

Everything you text is recorded as a 'transcript' (not exactly the correct word, though its the best word that fits to describe it IMO) by whoever your cell phone provider is, and *TECHNICALLY SPEAKING* your parents can gain access to that... And can therefore see everything you text. But I'm not sure of the legality of that. Other than that I think that A) they could simply ask the cell phone provider beforehand to set up a plan where they can monitor your texts (I believe there's actually a way for them to monitor your texts online via that 'transcript') or B) they could simply take your phone when you don't have it with you and look at your old texts.

There are also two complicated ways of 'hacking' someone's phone from an outside source to view their text messages, but I doubt anyone's parents are that intelligent technologically speaking.

[AutumnDae]

Moving to Tech Junky's.

[pkid]

To underground network- thanks for the information and my parents really don't know much about technology things..even I don't know about these things.. So do my parents have to pay extra to see my texts? And does this also include multimedia messages?

[Underground_Network]

Again, I don't know. I have a vague knowledge of this stuff. I'm only good with computers, not so much with phones. I never use mine, so I never bothered learning about it.

I've heard from my friends though, that its possible for their parents to monitor their texts, but from what they told me its something that has to be set up when you FIRST purchase the phone/acquire a cell phone provider, though I don't know if that's honestly true.

I wouldn't be worried tbh. So many teens send inappropriate texts/pics/etc. via their phones and never get in trouble, that its not something to get too paranoid about. Once you start see commercials telling parents about ways to monitor their kids' texts and it really becomes a well advertised phenomena, that's when I would start worrying. For now, you shouldn't really worry at all...

But if a girl says not to send her inappropriate pics/texts, then I wouldn't, especially if she thinks/knows that her parents are monitoring her texts, because it certainly is possible.

[The Joker]

They can monitor texts if they want to, and if you don't delete the texts than they can read them.

[geoff5093]

They could always take the less tech-savvy approach and just take his/her phone at night and read the sent and received texts.

[pkid]

They could always take the less tech-savvy approach and just take his/her phone at night and read the sent and received texts.

well im not THAT stupid, lol...i always delete my messages

[theOperaGhost]

Well, your parents probably won't be able to see them, but they are not private. If you are doing anything illegal and get caught, it can all be brought up, whether you deleted it or not. If you are sending nude pictures of yourself or anything, that is distribution of child pornography, which classifies you as a sex offender. Of course you have to be caught, but I certainly wouldn't take that risk. The proof will always be there, if you did though.

[colderwease7]

most of the time i would like to belive that thwey are private but you just never now if they are private they say they have laws against it but u just never ever no

[2D]

You could just put a lock on your phone. That's what I do.

[Stevo 69]

Well, yes and no

Yes because they go from one person to another without anyone butting in

No because the networks have to keep track of every text sent, this is mainly for stuff like serious police matters

[IAMWILL]

This is bumped from June. Please don't bump old threads. Thanks, :locked: