I was looking through his iPad for something and discovered he's on Discord talking to kids I don't know. He tried to tell me it's just gaming friends but I'm not comfortable with this at all. He's furious that I'm checking his stuff. How do other dads handle this without being too controlling? I want him to have privacy but also not get kidnapped by some weirdo.
Yeah Discord at 12 is pretty common now but you definitely need to know who he's talking to. Don't freak out on him about it but have the conversation about who these people are and what the guidelines are for his account.
The fact that you discovered it shows you're paying attention at least. Sit down and ask him about it. Most 12yos just want to talk to their friends gaming, but you definitely need to know it's not some random adults.
This one's tricky because Discord isn't inherently bad, but 12 is still young to be talking to randoms online. Might be worth a conversation about online safety without totally shutting it down.
Good catch finding that. I'd sit down with him and ask about who's on the server and what they actually talk about. Gaming friends are legit, but you gotta know who he's chatting with.
My 13yo is on Discord too and I realized I need to actually understand what he's doing instead of just blocking stuff. We set rules together about which servers he can join and I added his account to see what's happening. Made it less of a trust issue and more of a safety thing.
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This one needs a real talk with him. Discord can be cool but you gotta set some boundaries and know what servers he's in. Kids that age don't always understand the risks. Have the conversation without going full interrogation mode.