Asked in Family Law and Child Custody for Colorado

Q: Do I have to allow my children (14) 100% unrestricted access to a cell phone their mom provided?

My children have had cell phones for a few years, with screen time limits and certain apps blocked. Their mom never approved and told the kids not to take them to her house on the weekends. They've always been able to contact her on my phone whenever they want. Now that they are in high school and in sports she wants them to have a phone on them to contact her. She sent them to my house with phones with no content limits or restrictions. The kids are claiming she wants 24/7 access to them. We have told the kids to leave the phones in the living room but talk to her whenever they want. She is claiming that since she provided the phones they need to carry them 24/7 so she can talk to them whenever she wants. Is this outside of what is expected for reasonable contact?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Sabra M. Janko
PREMIUM
Sabra M. Janko pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
Answered
  • Divorce Lawyer
  • Colorado Springs, CO
  • Licensed in Colorado

A: There are no laws about when phones have to be available and parents are generally expected to be able to reach agreement. There are parental coordinators and decision makers who can assist parents in reaching agreement on matters that do not rise to the level of court intervention. The general expectation is that each parent will have "reasonable" contact with the children.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.