School: Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Track: Youth Class: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) Presented by: Minister Destiny Marie Morgan, Muslim Ordained Minister
This lesson is educational information and is not legal advice. Laws vary by state. If you are in danger right now, call 911.
Before you start
- This space is private. Nobody sees what you read or answer. Your progress stays on your device.
- We never ask your name. If you earn a certificate, you write your own name on it after you download it.
- Pass the test at 80% or higher to earn this unit's certificate. Retakes are allowed. Answers are not shown: go back and find what you missed.
- If you are in danger right now: call 911. If you cannot talk out loud, text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) or call or text 988 any time, day or night.
- This unit is about secret watching by a partner, friend, ex, or stranger — not family rules.
The lesson
Part 1. Watching vs caring — where the line is
Parents and guardians setting rules for a young person's phone is a family matter and is generally lawful. This unit is not about that. A safe parent or guardian can help you with every step here.
This unit is about secret watching by a boyfriend or girlfriend, a friend, an ex, or a stranger:
- A partner who must have your password "or else."
- A friend who tracks your location all day and night and gets angry when it is off.
- Someone who always knows what you said in private chats they were not part of.
That watching is about control. It is not love, and it is not friendship. Caring respects a "no." Control punishes a "no." In many cases, secret watching also breaks the law. It is not your fault for trusting someone.
Part 2. Location sharing — your location is yours to share
Location sharing means an app shows where your phone is to people you choose. Shared freely, for a short time, it can help with rides or meeting up. Left on all the time under pressure, it hands someone a live map of your life.
You can see who can see you. Open the location or sharing settings and look for the list — the roster — of people and apps that can see your location. Both major phone types keep this list in Settings, and sharing apps keep their own list inside the app. Just look. You do not have to change anything.
Pressure lines sound like: "If you trusted me, you'd share it." Trust never requires a live map of you. Real trust can hear "I am turning this off" and stay calm. Turning sharing off is allowed. If that feels scary because of how someone will react, tell a trusted adult.
Part 3. Passwords and accounts are yours — and the safe-device rule
A password is like a house key. Nobody you date or hang out with needs it, and demanding it is a warning sign, not a test of love.
Signs an account is being watched:
- Messages marked read that you never opened.
- A new device signed in to your account.
- Settings you changed change back.
- Someone repeats things you only typed in private.
If you think your phone is watched, use the safe-device rule before changing anything: use a phone or computer the watcher cannot see — a school or library device, or a trusted adult's device — to get help and make a plan. Sudden changes on a watched phone can be seen right away and can make things worse or make the person angry. Plan first, with a trusted adult.
Part 4. Apps — stores, permissions, and stalkerware
Get apps only from the official app stores on your phone. Apps from random websites or links can carry hidden tools.
Before you install any app, check what permissions it asks for. A simple game that wants your location, messages, and camera for no clear reason is a warning sign. A good app asks only for what it needs.
Know this word: stalkerware — apps made to spy on someone's phone. They can read messages, track location, and hide so the owner does not see them. Do not install apps a partner or friend insists on "so I know you're safe," or a "parental control" style app that no parent asked for. You can say no, and tell a trusted adult someone asked.
Part 5. What to do — tell, save proof, and get support
You do not have to handle secret watching alone.
- Tell a safe adult. A parent or guardian you trust, a school counselor, or a teacher. If the first adult does not act, tell the next one.
- If you are scared to tell, that feeling is exactly why hotlines exist. Call or text 988, text HOME to 741741, or call Childhelp at 1-800-422-4453.
- Save proof from the safe device. Screenshot demands and threats. Keep copies where the watcher cannot reach them. Do not delete the originals.
- Make changes with a plan, with a trusted adult, from a safe device.
Being monitored is never something you caused by trusting someone. The person who chose secret watching is responsible.
Words to know — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
- Location sharing — showing where your phone is to people on a list you can check.
- Stalkerware — apps made to spy on a phone, often hidden from its owner.
- Password — a secret code that locks your account, like a house key.
- App permission — what an app asks to reach, such as location, messages, or camera.
- Roster — the list of people and apps that can see your location.
- Safe device — a phone or computer the watcher cannot see.
- Trusted adult — an adult who believes you and will act to help you stay safe.
- Control — using pressure, fear, or watching to make someone obey.
- Secret watching — checking someone's phone, messages, or location without their free agreement.
Myths vs facts — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
- Myth: Sharing my location proves I have nothing to hide. Fact: Your location is private. Keeping it private only proves it is yours.
- Myth: If a partner wants my password, they really love me. Fact: Love respects privacy. Demanding a password "or else" is control.
- Myth: Turning off location sharing means I did something wrong. Fact: Turning it off is allowed at any time. A caring person accepts it calmly.
- Myth: An app a friend picks is safe because they picked it. Fact: Check any app. Access it does not need is a warning sign.
- Myth: If I once shared, I cannot take it back. Fact: Sharing can be stopped, safely, with a trusted adult and a safe device.
Think it through — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
Maya, 15, has a boyfriend who demands her location on at all times and her password "to prove trust." When her location was off at a family dinner, he sent angry messages for an hour. Last week he quoted a private chat with her cousin — a chat he was never part of. Maya is scared to turn anything off.
Walk it through: (1) Name the line (Part 1): this is not a family rule. Demanding a password and punishing her is control, not care. (2) Location (Part 2): trust never requires a live map, and turning sharing off is allowed — but her fear matters. (3) The quoted chat is a sign her account may be watched (Part 3), so no sudden changes on her own phone. (4) Steps (Parts 3 and 5): use a safe device, tell a trusted adult, save screenshots, and plan together first. If scared to tell, call or text 988 or text HOME to 741741.
Cases & codes to study — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
Carpenter v. United States, 585 U.S. 296 (U.S. Supreme Court, 2018)
- The facts: The government got months of records showing where a man's phone had been, without a warrant.
- The question: Does the government need a warrant for long-term phone location records?
- The ruling and the outcome: Yes, generally. Getting those records was a search, and a warrant was needed. The decision was for Carpenter.
- Why it matters to you: Your location tells your whole story, so the Court treated it as deeply private.
- 📄 Court document: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-402_h315.pdf (the official opinion, at supremecourt.gov)
- 🎥 Watch / listen: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/16-402 — the case page with the actual oral argument audio, published by Oyez.
The law itself — read the real words
- Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 99 — in Massachusetts, secretly hearing or recording private communications can be a crime. Read it: https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiv/titlei/chapter272/section99
Where to read the real thing, free: malegislature.gov (https://malegislature.gov), courtlistener.com (https://www.courtlistener.com).
Try this — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
- ☐ Find who can see your location — just look; do not change anything
- ☐ Check one app's permissions: does what it wants match what it does?
- ☐ Name three trusted adults you could tell about a password demand
- ☐ Learn the safe-device rule: plan first, from a device the watcher cannot see
- ☐ Save the help lines: 988, Crisis Text Line, and Childhelp
Resources to keep — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
- 911 — in danger now.
- 988 (call or text) — support any time.
- Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 — if you would rather type.
- Childhelp: 1-800-422-4453 — help if someone is pressuring or watching you.
- thehotline.org — a site for older teens in relationships.
What you earned / what's next — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
✅ When Someone Is Watching Your Phone complete (quiz score 80% or higher): You can tell secret watching from caring, check your location roster, spot signs of watching, and use the safe-device rule.
Your certificate
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Certificate of Completion — When Someone Is Watching Your Phone
This certificate is presented by Muslim Ordained Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
Awarded to: ______________________________ (write your name here after you download — your name is never collected or stored by this school)
Date completed: ______________
Your location and passwords belong to you. Asking a trusted adult for help is strength. — Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
This is a certificate of educational completion from Minister Destiny Testimony Schools. It is not a state license, a government certification, or legal training for representing anyone.
What's next: Return to the Topic Library for your next Year 1 Foundations unit.
Sources
- Massachusetts General Laws — malegislature.gov (https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiv/titlei/chapter272/section99) — wiretap law text checked.
- Carpenter v. United States, 585 U.S. 296 (U.S. Supreme Court 2018) — warrant generally required for long-term location records.
- Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 99 (Mass. Gen. Laws) — secretly intercepting wire and oral communications.
- Oyez — oyez.org (https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/16-402) — Carpenter facts, holding, and argument audio checked.
- Supreme Court of the United States — supremecourt.gov (https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-402_h315.pdf) — official Carpenter opinion checked.
- Federal Trade Commission — ftc.gov — stalkerware actions and guidance checked.
Your Progress — On Your Device Only
- Learning outcomes: On completing this unit, the student can:
- tell a family phone rule from secret watching by a partner, friend, ex, or stranger
- find the roster of people and apps that can see their location
- name signs that an account may be watched
- explain the safe-device rule and plan changes with a trusted adult
- check app permissions and say what stalkerware is
- save proof safely and name help lines to use
- Study time: Approximately 0.4 hours — reading, activities, and the test. Students move at their own pace.
- Assessment: A 10-question test drawn only from this unit. 80% or higher passes and earns the certificate. Answers and scores stay on the student's device; retakes are allowed.
- Level: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) · Youth school · working rank on completion path: Freshman → Sophomore.
- Version: Version 1.0 — October 2026.
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools — Youth. Educational information only, not legal advice. Help lines: 911 · 988 (call or text) · Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) · Childhelp 1-800-422-4453.