SOCIAL media is a minefield for teens - and parents.

From tweets on twitter and images on Instagram to group chats on What's App and posts on Facebook, social-media life can, well, take over your life.

When I bought my 12-year-old daughter her first smart phone last summer I warned her that I had a right to "look" at it. I wanted to make sure that she wasn't using any inappropriate apps or sending - or receiving - any worrying material.

That was the deal we struck - following advice from some friends who reserve the right to check their children's emails, texts and social media sites from time to time.

Was it ethical I wondered? After all, parents wouldn't read their child's diary. Are their online accounts the modern-day equivalent?

After some careful consideration (and a good chat to friends with older teenagers as well as a thorough read of parenting websites on the issue), I have concluded that it's not only right - but a parental duty to keep an eye on what their young teen is up to online.

York Press:

TROUBLE: social media can prove a minefield for parents and teens to navigate

For some parents this may seem daunting. If they don't use social media, then making sense of how young people communicate may seem like an arduous mountain to climb.

But it's worth becoming tech savvy. The best way to do this is join the digital revolution. Sign up for twitter, open a Facebook account, download the latest messaging apps. Better still, get your youngster to help you navigate this brave new world. See what they do. Watch and learn. You might even enjoy it!

I'm not saying that you have to "snoop" on your kid right through until they leave home. But while they are tweens or early teens, I do think you have the right to monitor their e-correspondence.

But be open about it. Tell them from the outset this is the deal. No access, no phone (you're paying for it after all). Tell them to warn their friends to make sure all content is "PG". That should make them think twice before pressing the send button on any inappropriate material.

What you might find is that your child will come to you with anything problematic popping up on a posting - aware that you might uncover it anyway.

It's worth reiterating some warnings about behaviour online. Basically, they shouldn't send anything - text or photos - they might regret later. Equally, they shouldn't take part in anything that amounts to online bullying. Sometimes that can be a grey area - and hopefully you can help your child identify when playful banter is turning into something more baleful.

Of course, things can go wrong. Once upon a time, falling out with friends or embarrassing and regretful behaviour could be patched up with an apology and forgotten. Today, the internet makes any digital documentation of any such incidents permanent.

Which is why the government is right to back a new campaign to give every child and young person the right to easily edit or delete all online content they have created.

The campaign has won the backing of Baroness Joanna Shields, the UK's Minister for Internet Safety and Security, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and leading academics from Oxford University and the London School of Economics, as well as business leaders and children's charities. Mhairi Black, the 20-year-old SNP MP, is another supporter.

Black knows at first hand how teenage postings can come back to bite the adult. The media discovered tweets from the 14 and 15-year-old Black boasting about underage drinking and filled with expletives.

Teens need to experiment, and part of growing up is making mistakes - and learning from them - without fear they can haunt them for the rest of their lives. Which is why the "right to be forgotten" - to erase their online pasts - should be enshrined in law.