Does anyone actually use parental control apps, or is it just me?

Genuinely asking because I feel like a dinosaur sometimes. I use Google Family Link on all three kids' devices and I actually like it? People act like monitoring is controlling but like... they're 8, 11, and 13. I'm not trying to spy on their conversations, I just want to know what apps they're downloading and make sure they're not up until 2am gaming. My friends act like I'm checking their text messages but I'm not. Is there actually a middle ground that doesn't exist or am I just lucky that my kids accept this?