NAH. I think it’s more well meaning intent gone wrong. I get you were concerned about the maturity level of the books she reads, but 16, while young, is not so young that the reader can’t understand what the author is trying to convey. They also know reality from fiction as well as right from wrong.

I was reading a lot of “mature” content at that age…smut books” as my mom would call the romance novels I would read. She did not try to stop me, but did also sit down with me to talk to make sure I understood that those things in the story were fictional and not necessarily an accurate portrayal of real life.

Your husband also had the right intent as did your mother in law. Ultimately it’s up to the parents to decide if the want to continue to let her read them or let it go.

But honestly, I think you’re shutting the barn door after the cows got out, as the saying goes. The 16 yr old has already read them and been exposed to the adult content. There is no going back from that. Second, taking away her books won’t stop her from reading them. It will simply make her sneaky about it. She will read them on Apps or borrow them from the library or friends and hide them. Trust me, there’s a lot of mature content on pretty much every reading app out there. It’s not going to be hard for her to get access to the content she wants to read on her devices.