UK: Parents may be criminally, or civilly prosecuted for tapping into their kid's phones

Whether parents believe they are 'right, or justified' to tap into their teen's phone, they are still in actual fact breaking the law, so therefor could face civil, or criminal charges.

The behaviour is controlling, unlawful, and is more likely to cause a teenager to try to hide any "bad" behaviour because they will know that you are snooping, and looking for it.

Looking through your teenager's phone can have you put behind bars for up to six months, and can have you fined £5, 000. If you intend to commit any other crime whilst logged in, ie, reading text messages, then you may be jailed for up to five years, and may receive an unlimited fine. According to the Computer Misuse Act (1990).

Snooping through your teenager's phone/device may also get you sued for breaching 'privacy rights', and may also have you criminally prosecuted for a variety of hacking offenses, under both international, and domestic, as well as #European laws.

Hacking ANYONE, your child, or not, is still a crime, and is a civil tort, and may have you sentenced, or sued. Your teen would be within their legal jurisdiction/rights to sue, or prosecute you for hacking, and phone-tapping.