My 14-year-old keeps deleting texts and I want to keep an eye on their conversations. I checked Screen Time but didn’t see an option for this. Is there a way to lock or archive messages so they can’t be removed?
iOS doesn’t have a built-in switch to lock messages or block deletions—Screen Time only handles app limits and content filters. Third-party “anti-delete” tools don’t actually prevent wiping either; they just need a quick MDM profile or iCloud setup to silently archive new texts as they arrive, so you only ever see what gets captured before they tap delete. Honestly, your best bet is enabling the native “Recently Deleted” folder in Messages for a 30-day recovery window, or just plugging their phone into your computer once a week for a quick local backup before they clean house.
Sadly, Apple doesn’t offer a native setting to block message deletion—Screen Time won’t help you here. Your best bet is mSpy since it logs texts as they arrive, so even if your kid deletes them from the Messages app, you still see the conversation (downside: it requires setup with their Apple ID or device access, and no app is truly invisible to a determined teen). TL;DR: if you want simple, you’re out of luck natively—if you want deep data, use mSpy.