Snooping on your child's computer

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2006
Snooping on your child's computer
5
Thu, 12-07-2006 - 3:38pm
Does anyone out there use parental control software to see what their kids have been doing online? My daughter and her boyfriend talk on IM all the time. My husband and I can't stand him and want to know what they're up to.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Thu, 12-07-2006 - 3:55pm

I use something called family keylogger but the problem with that is you only get one side of the conversation. There are other, more advanced programs out there where you can get both sides of the conversation. Hopefully someone else more computer savvy will respond. I think it's always a good idea to monitor your kids on the internet but be careful of snooping just because you "dont like him". And the biggest warning I have about snooping is: be prepared to get some bad news, and figure out what you'll do with it when you get it...good luck.

Avatar for ivillage_sista
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 12-07-2006 - 7:40pm

How is your relationship with your daughter?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2000
Fri, 12-08-2006 - 9:29am
Yes we have software on our computer where we can monitor IM conversations.
Pam
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-13-2006
Sun, 12-10-2006 - 3:55am
I use AIM monitoring software called Instant Message Grabber. It costs about $35. It can be downloaded for a free 2-week trial. I have found out a lot of information.... which I guess is good.... but sometimes hard to read. I don't regret that I installed it... but I do regret that I am in a situation where I feel I need to secretly monitor my child. It's easy to install and for sure worth checking out. There was a discussion about this topic about a month ago. You may want to check out the older discussions. Good luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Mon, 12-11-2006 - 11:47am

Yes I did have it on mine. Since my girls are now older teens, I don't use it anymore. Please keep in mind that just b/c they say something on line doesn't mean it's necessarily true or they may not mean it in the way that you think they do. So before you read something and go nuts and accuse her of all sort of things, wait a few days and think about it. I have learned this lesson the hard way and know how tempting it can be to automatically assume things that you really don't know.