"John & Robin Teeple" <tom_slycke@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:J8xQa.42092$o86.12629@news1.central.cox.net.. .
> I have successfully stopped children from being able to use IM programs.
But
> there are too many other places they are finding to carry on undesireable
> conversations. One of the most used now is using private game rooms. I
have
> turned to key logging to monitor their activities and have tried several
key
> logging utilities. My problem now is that I see my daughter in very
> suggestive conversations, agreeing to things, but since I only see one
side
> of the conversation, I have no idea what she is agreeing to.
>
> Her primary chat 'tool' is Yahoo game rooms. Are there any utilities that
> will log both sides of a chat session from within one of these game rooms?

Having kids myself I can understand your problem. And it sounds like your
daughter has gotten herself involved with some stuff that is not supposed to
be available to kids on the net in the first place and might be VERY
dangerous to her. Key logging seems like the long/wrong way to go about
things to me though.

For starters you can completely disable Instant Messenger and its various
and sundry variations. You will need Zone Alarm Pro and you need to
password protect that so she cannot undo things.

You can move the computer to a room in your home where it is in full public
view.

Your machine can be set up so that once you have shut it off and can only be
restarted by you as the administrator but for heaven sakes if you do that
remember some very basic password security - no real words, at least 6
digits/letters in combination with both upper and lower case letters, no
birthdays and the like, nothing that makes any sense at all of any kind, and
for heaven's sake MEMORIZE IT! Do NOT write the thing down. Some of the
very best hackers are all of 11 or 12 years old - and this new generation
has almost frightening computer skills. My grandchild - who's been using
computers since she was about 1 1/2 - blows her Dad's (a professional
computer geek) mind on a regular basis.

You can set up a user account for each member of your family and require
them to log on. From there, as the administrator of the system you can
simply block sites that you do not want your daughter to visit - add them to
the Blocked Zone in both Zone Alarm Pro and IE/Tools/Options/Security

You can trace the owners of the "private game sites" and report them to the
FBI and your state police/attorney general's office. More than one child
has disappeared never to be seen again from just this kind of thing. For
that matter, google "internet security" then within results (bottom of first
results screen as a blue link next to the search box) "children" and you
will find lots of information about keeping your children secure on the net.
Many of them have specific advice and places to report sites like this.

Most importantly you can EDUCATE your daughter as to both internet security
(visiting game sites will load SO much spyware on your machine that it might
very well simply stop functioning) and keeping herself safe online (and
off.)

It sounds like she is a teenager rather than a small child, so let me give
you a tactic that worked exceedingly well with my own - and tons of others.
First, don't "tell" or "demand" - they tune you out and do not hear the
first word you say. Express your concern for her safety, but then bring up
questions like these -

"How do you know that the person you are talking with is really who they say
they are?"

"What do you think might happen?" "Is there anything else that might
happen?"

Get HER to think of the answers - and keep asking until she has brought up
all the possibilities.