Review instant messages previously sent

look in the IM program itself.
ICQ has a history section that retains all messages to and from for a period of time.
This has to be set in its preferences. This could be password protected so you would need your teens password .

And of course, the way I caught my teen, Norton Internet Security.
It maintains a log of sites visited, although it does provide good protection from most web sites you don't want them on. . .
NetNanny is another good one. .

Key logger may be a good solution for you as well - record EVERYTHING the teen is doing...
http://home.rochester.rr.com/artcfox/TinyKL/

MSN Messenger can have logging enabled. It is off by default, but you can turn it on and not mention that this has been done.
Trillian also, by default, logs all messages for all services.
So, it really just depends on what IM program your  kid uses. If you can find out, then we can tell you how to turn on the logging.

Thanks all.  I expected to get blasted for wanting to monitor for no other reason than to guide and protect.  I need to verify what specific IM we're using.  Appreciate your help.

Netnanny (and similar) have a suite of apps tailored to parental control.
http://www.netnanny.com/index.html

(and teens hate that name!)

Netnanny (and similar) have a suite of apps tailored to parental control.
http://www.netnanny.com/index.html

(and teens hate that name!)

>I expected to get blasted for wanting to monitor
My opinion on this is that, as a concerned parent, it is OK for you to want to do this. Yes, this is a sticky situation, where some people say that you don't trust your kids and that is why you want to log their chats. But, I don't look at it that way. IMHO, you  are only being responsible and active in your kid's life. YOu ask them where they are going, who they are spending time with, what they are doing. So, the same applies to their online activities.
At least, in my opinion.
Good luck.

First let me verify your presumption that you deserve a chewing out. Be more trusting. Until they are 10. Or is it 8. After awhile it is really too late. But until about that time you can convince them easily enough that each one in family can trust other. Try to be with them when they are online. Quality time for them. Some subtle reminders of their not downloading stuff or giving out real personal information --- ever! When they know rules, they'll behave. They'll even tell you more than you want to know, and you can master art of looking away and not interested when they talk to new friends. Later their hormones will kick in and since adults are so, um, not all-knowing anymore, there'll be the defiance. But if they get habits early enough, you win.

Get caught just once in a monitor sneak, and you lose, in a way you may never recover from.

I think you know all that, but still seek the reminder.

The older they get the more tricks they'll have picked up, maybe at school on break where you'll never monitor. Once they do that, one path they can take is to move files. So my main technical advise remains simple. Using windows explorer, just browse for the files. Practice this program. With it you can easily search the entire computer quickly for any file. For tasks such as you suggest, among the things to practise are searching for the newly created files. For you may never know what other programs or pictures or tool they may have snuck in, knowingly or not. do remember that ICQ, IMs and such indicate other ways vulnerabilities can be exploited, and you have to watch out for them as well.

Make sure permissions are set such as the authority of house rule, where parents have more rights, lasting longer, etc. Files and logs can be deleted. You may want to ensure that they'll at least initially go to recycle bin. If running a logger, and creating a new log file for your own review, do remeber and remind yourself, that what goes around comes around, where eventually they may learn more about using computers, and explorer, etc, and find your logfile(s). They probably have advantage over you for time availability for such tasks. Try to not be overly competetive, but I agree that you must try to remain a step ahead of them, at least for the near term while you can.

Um,, don't forget that internet is public. That means, anything we tell you here online can be read by ... anyone, such as any friend of your teen, and there is no logger to track those unknowns.

>  I need to verify what specific IM we're using

good.
Of the above suggestions, the better ones IMO are for using options within the existing package to make logs, so they have more the appearance of validating and verifying good usage (explainable) than of looking for bad usage (snooping, less easy to explain/justify).

i think there is. try the program winguardian. they will take a snapshot of graphical
interface of what the child is doing in the computer. it also logs some protected information
that should not be disclosed to somebody else

The Jesuits told us that they only needed you until you were 7.
I don't see any problem monitoring internet access, it's a privledge, not a human right.

If it is an earlier version of MSN messenger without logging you can use plus:

http://www.msgplus.net/

As to what you are planning to do it is disgusting but I am heartened in the knowledge that your teen probably runs around you in circles on a computer and you won't know the half of what he or she is up to for all your sneakin' and spyin'...

I Think it is good sense to moniter teens online  I have for 2 years now and have kept abreast of everything they do.. & could easily intervene if need be. I use a program called Spectorsoft. Worth the investment many times over.