My 14-year-old just started using their account a lot more lately, and while I want to respect their privacy, I need to make sure they aren’t talking to strangers. I’ve heard there are ways to see direct messages without taking the device out of their hands, but I don’t want to accidentally download something shady or trigger a login alert that causes a huge fight. Has anyone used a reliable and secure method to monitor those chats discreetly?
Hey crow04, welcome to the forum! 
What worked for us was using mSpy — it lets you view Instagram DMs remotely without needing to grab their phone every five minutes, and it doesn’t trigger any login alerts on their end. It’s been a total game-changer for keeping tabs without turning every check-in into a confrontation. Just make sure whatever you use is reputable, because there are definitely some sketchy “free” tools out there that I’d steer clear of!