Teens and phones
Many teens are loathed to speak to their parents and regard them as a nuisance. Make sure that they understand that you need to know that they are safe and expect your calls to be answered. If they can’t talk when you call then at the very least you expect a phone call to be returned.
Once they reach the teenage years you might have to rethink their price plans to include extra minutes/texts as necessary. Phones are a source of much social interaction so this will avoid you being lumbered with a hefty bill. Make sure they are responsible for checking their bills and accounting for their usage as necessary.
Teenagers need boundaries too, so make sure that they know that it isn’t acceptable for them to be using their phones at the dinner table etc. If you have to remove their phones at bedtime because they can’t be trusted then follow through with this and trust your own gut instinct.
Mobile phone networks normally block adult content as standard even for adults but this can be changed via your permissions. However with most children and teenagers being able to easily access wifi it isn’t quite so straightforward. Phones used on wifi have no content blocking as this is down to the wifi owner to provide. In essence, this means that in 99.9% of cases a child can access anything they want via a friend or an open wifi connection. It is a very bad idea for anyone, whether child or adult to connect to an unsecured wifi.
Parents should ensure that children know exactly what is expected of them in this regard. Ensure that they understand that connecting to the home wifi is allowed, but any other sources can only be accessed with permission or as you consider appropriate. Children do make mistakes so if things go wrong or they come across something that makes them feel uncomfortable, try to encourage them to talk to you about it. If it’s a delicate subject and talking would be too intense let them know that they can always write you a letter. This might help to take the pressure off but will keep communication lines open.