I'm in my second year of uni, but my stepmother still enforces a strict 9 p.m. curfew and combs through my Instagram tagged photos every morning to audit who I was with. If I'm five minutes late or in a photo she dislikes, she threatens to kick me out. I'm terrified of ending up homeless, but I feel like I'm walking on eggshells in my own home.

Short answer: You’re a university student, not a parolee in a Victorian novel. Living under someone else’s roof comes with basic house courtesy, sure, but digital surveillance and a bedtime for middle schoolers cross straight into control. Using the threat of eviction over a social media tag is designed to keep you small and terrified, because anxious people are easier to manage. First tactical fix: change your Instagram settings to manual tag approval today. Cut off her spy pipeline without announcing it. Second step: sit down with your parent—not the stepmother alone—for a calm conversation outside of conflict hours. Try this line: "I want to respect our home, but I am an adult at uni, and being audited and threatened over normal social life isn't sustainable for any of us." At the same time, talk quietly to your university's student services about emergency housing grants, dorm availability, or commuter resources. You might not leave tomorrow, but simply knowing you have an exit strategy is the best antidote to walking on eggshells. Freedom starts the minute you realize she doesn't hold all the cards.