Diana ultimately you have to do what you feel is right but I was not comfortable turned difficult child's phone off. Oh I did it to get her attention sometimes when she wouldn't respond to me, but when we finally did make her leave our home we could not turn her phone off. I was sick with worry as it was and I wanted her to have that lifeline. Eventually she did use it and she did call us for help. Paying for her phone service was the least of my worries at that time. Turning his phone off and making it harder for him to find rides will not make him seek help sooner, it will just make him angrier.
One of our members here, TL, always made sure her difficult child had a working phone even when he was backpacking across the country and living on the streets. She felt better knowing he could contact her if needed.
