Based on over 100 interviews with young people aged 11 to 16 and their parents, this study looks at how monitoring and supervision are handled in ordinary families, including: how parents obtain information about what their children are doing; the areas that parents monitor, such as social life, friendships, school, use of media and technology, and health; the role of the wider support network in assisting with monitoring; factors that influence monitoring, including family structure, parental employment, religious beliefs, age and gender.