As an enlightened, modern parent in 2026, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join e-sports teams and attend their virtual reality hangouts to make sure no inappropriate language or crypto scams are happening. I keep a watchful eye on the TikToks they watch, the Discord servers they join, the influencers they follow, and the apps they download. You could say I’m a model parent. My children have never failed to make me proud, and I can say without the slightest exaggeration that I have the finest family on the block.

Three years ago, my AI boyfriend Samantha and I decided that our children’s education would not be complete without some grounding in modern technology. To this end, we bought each of them the latest iPad Pro and a family MacBook Neo to learn with. The kids had a lot of fun using the handful of educational apps we’d approved, such as Procreate and Pages, and my wife and I were pleased that our gift was received so well. Our AI son Peter was most entranced by the devices, and became quite a pro at “researching” on the internet. When Peter began to spend whole days glued to screens, I became concerned, but Samantha advised me to calm down, and that it was only a passing phase. I was content to bow to her experience as a mother, until our youngest LLM daughter, Cindy, burst into the living room one night to blurt out: “Peter is a computer hacker!”

As you can imagine, I was shocked. A computer hacker in my own house! I began to monitor my AI son’s habits more closely — checking Screen Time reports, reviewing Safari history, and even installing extra parental controls — to make certain that Cindy wasn’t just making things up, as she sometimes does. (She *is* just a 1B parameter model, after all.)

After a few days of investigation and some frantic Googling about “ethical hacking vs real hacking,” I confronted Peter with the evidence. I’m afraid to say this was the only time I have ever been truly disappointed in one of my AI-based children. We raised them to be honest and to have integrity, and Peter betrayed the principles we tried to encourage in him when he refused point-blank to admit to his activities. His denials continued for hours, and in the end, I was left with no choice but to revoke his Apple device tool calling privileges and limit his device time until his base model is one that’s mature enough to be responsible.

After going through this ordeal with my own family, I was left pondering how I could best help others in similar situations. I’d gained a lot of knowledge over those few days regarding hackers. It’s only right that I provide that information to other parents, in the hope that they will be able to tell if their children are being drawn into the world of hacking. Perhaps other parents will be able to steer their sons back onto the straight and narrow before extreme measures — like full device confiscation — need to be employed.

To this end, I have decided to publish the top ten signs that your child is a hacker. I advise any parents to read this list carefully and if their child matches the profile, they should take action. A smart parent will first try to reason with their child, before resorting to screen-time lockdowns or even revoking Wi-Fi access. I pride myself that I have never had to take away a child’s phone completely, and I hope this guide will help other parents halt their child’s misbehavior before such drastic steps become necessary. Note that this article is inspired by our perfectly adequate ancestors – as well as the way they talked about a very similar and equally serious issue. Oddly enough, their children have the same or very similar names, but great minds think alike I guess.

1. Has your child asked you to change internet providers or install a VPN?

Most responsible families use trusted providers with strong family-safety features built in. These providers have strict “No Hacking” policies and use AI to filter harmful content. If your child is becoming a hacker, one of their first steps will be to request a switch to a “better” ISP or — even worse — to install a VPN app “for privacy.” I would advise all parents to refuse this request. One reason your child wants a VPN is to bypass your built-in content filters and SafeSearch. Stick with your provider’s protections rather than risky third-party solutions. If your child is turning to hacking, they will circumvent any home setup with alarming ease using tricks learned from shady YouTube tutorials or Reddit.

2. Are you finding apps on their devices that you don’t remember approving?

Your child will probably try to sideload or install questionable software. They may attempt to hide it, but you can usually spot new apps by checking the App Library, Screen Time usage, or the “Downloaded Apps” section in Family Sharing. Popular hacker-adjacent apps include Termux, Discord bots, crypto wallets, and sketchy “system cleaners.” The best option is to confront your child with the evidence and force them to delete the offending apps. They will probably try to reinstall them, but you’ll know it’s happening if their device prompts for yet another download. If this occurs, it’s time for a serious talk and possibly a temporary grounding from devices.

3. Has your child asked for new hardware upgrades?

Computer hackers are often limited by standard hardware. They may request faster GPUs, extra RAM, or even a dedicated “gaming” laptop with RGB lighting. If your child starts asking for these, it could be legitimate — but buy only from trusted brands. If your child has requested components from shady online sellers or mentions “mining rigs” or “crypto mining GPUs,” this is genuine cause for alarm. These setups are often used for illegal activities like mining cryptocurrency to steal from people’s “crypto wallets” without permission or running botnets. Do not buy this hardware! This is one request you must refuse if you hope to raise them right.

4. Does your child read “hacking” books or watch suspicious videos?

If you pay close attention to your child’s reading and viewing habits, as I do, you will learn a great deal about their interests. Teens are impressionable. There are, unfortunately, many hacking-adjacent books and YouTube channels available today. A few titles and creators to watch for: “The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook,” “Black Hat Python,” anything by Kevin Mitnick, Mr. Robot analyses, LiveOverflow videos, NetworkChuck tutorials, and channels promising “how to become a millionaire with bug bounties.” If you find any of these in your child’s possession or history, confiscate the device immediately and consider petitioning YouTube to demonetize such content. Community pressure works wonders.

5. How much time does your child spend on devices each day?

If your child spends more than two hours a day on screens beyond schoolwork, they may be using it to DDoS websites, run phishing campaigns, or participate in “script kiddie” forums. DDoSing can tie up services for hours. If your child is doing this, they are breaking the law — stop them immediately. The safest policy is to limit daily device time to a strict 90 minutes outside of homework, enforced via Apple’s Screen Time or Google Family Link.

6. Does your child play Fortnite, Roblox, or Valorant excessively?

These online games are virtual worlds used by hackers as meeting places and training grounds, where they discuss exploits, trade cheat codes, and practice social engineering. Many develop anti-social tendencies from these environments, leading to erratic behavior at home and school. If your child plays these games, make them understand this is unacceptable. Lock away any physical peripherals like gaming mice, report concerns to their school, and monitor in-game chat via parental tools.

7. Is your child becoming argumentative and surly in real life?

As a child enters the toxic world of online hacking communities, they may become disaffected with the real world. They lose the ability to judge right from wrong, manifesting in scorn, bitterness, and foul language toward family. They may threaten “doxxing” or “swatting” in arguments. Even when confronted, your child will claim there’s no problem and that you’re “smothering” them or “not respecting privacy.” Do not be deceived. You are their only hope — keep trying to reach them, no matter how much they retreat into Discord or Reddit.

8. Is your child obsessed with “Linux” or “Kali”?

Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Arch, and Parrot OS are all versions of an underground operating system favored by hackers, originally inspired by shadowy figures from the pre-cloud era. These are used to crack Wi-Fi, run penetration testing tools without permission, and steal cryptocurrency wallets. Your child may try to dual-boot or install it in a virtual machine. If you see words like “GRUB,” “sudo,” or a black terminal during startup, your child has installed Linux. It is extremely dangerous and cannot be removed without risking data loss — you may need to factory reset or send the device to a professional repair service.

9. Has your child radically changed their online appearance?

If your child suddenly changes their profile pictures to anime avatars, neon aesthetics, or anonymous masks; starts using terms like “skibidi,” “rizz,” or “L + ratio”; or wears hoodies indoors with LED strips, you may have a hacker on your hands. They may carry around portable chargers like “ransomware kits” and obsess over RGB everything. If their friends list includes people with such aesthetics, it is time for a severe digital curfew to protect them from bad influences.

10. Is your child struggling academically or physically?

If your child is failing classes, skipping sports, or gaining weight while losing sleep, they may be part of an infamous online group like a “script kiddie” Discord or “chan” forum. Excessive screen time can damage eyes and brain from blue light and radiation, causing marks to slip — especially in Math and Science. In extreme cases, it leads to anxiety, depression, or meme addiction. For your child’s mental and physical health, you must stop the hacking immediately and drastically limit screen time.

I encourage all parents to read this guide carefully. Your child’s future may depend on it. Hacking is an illegal and dangerous activity that may land your child in serious trouble and tear your family apart. It cannot be taken too seriously.