Dear Annie: I’m a 42-year-old mom of two. I’ve been remarried for three years, and I’m trying hard to do the blended family thing with grace. My husband has a 16-year-old daughter, “Mia,” who lives with us half the time. Most days are fine, but there’s one issue that has turned our home into a low-grade reality show.

Mia has started recording everything.

At first, it was harmless: funny cooking mishaps, the dog stealing socks, little random clips with music. Then it shifted. If my husband and I disagree about anything, she’ll quietly set her phone on the counter like it “just happens” to be there. If I ask her to do chores, she’ll start filming and narrating under her breath like she’s documenting injustice. Once, I overheard her telling a friend, “Watch this, my stepmom is about to lose it,” as if she was waiting for a big moment.

I’ve asked her to stop filming in the house without permission. She rolls her eyes and says, “It’s not that deep,” or “I’m just making content.” My husband says she’s being a typical teenager and I’m taking it personally. But I feel like I’m living with a camera crew, and it’s making me tense and snappish, which I’m sure only feeds the situation.

How do I set a boundary about privacy without becoming the villain in her story? — Not Your Content Creator

Not Your Content Creator: You’re not being overly sensitive. A home is not a stage, and consent matters, especially when filming is used to provoke or embarrass somebody. Start with setting a calm, household-wide rule in order to avoid making it a personal battle: No recording is allowed in shared spaces without everyone’s permission. Make it clear that this rule is about privacy and respect, not necessarily a response to Mia’s character.

Then enlist your husband as a true partner. Tell him, kindly but plainly, that dismissing this as “typical” leaves you feeling unprotected in your own home. Agree on a consequence you can enforce consistently: If she continues to record everyone after being told not to, the phone goes away for a set period while she’s in common areas, or she has to stay in her room to film.

Finally, don’t give her the “big moment” she’s waiting for. Stay boring, brief and steady. The wrong kind of attention could be fuel for an argument, or for an entertaining video, but simply setting firm boundaries should not be.

“Out of Bounds: Estrangement, Boundaries and the Search for Forgiveness” is out now. Annie Lane’s third anthology is for anyone who has lived with anger, estrangement or the deep ache of being wronged — because forgiveness isn’t for them. It’s for you. Go to http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Follow Annie Lane on Instagram at @dearannieofficial. Send questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.