How to Discreetly Monitor Your Kid’s Email
Sometimes a parent feels they need to check up on their kids, even though they know their kids want to be trusted. Nothing can break the bond of trust more quickly between a parent and a child than the child finding out their parent spied on them by, say, reading their diary. 
Prying into a child’s privacy tells that child that you don’t trust them…particularly if the child has done nothing wrong.
But, just because a parent shouldn’t spy on their kids as a matter of course, that doesn’t mean that sometimes a parent doesn’t have to.
If you have reason to believe your kids might be doing something inappropriate or are concerned about them, you may feel you have to monitor their online behavior. If this is the case, knowing how to discreetly monitor your kid’s email may protect them both from what you’re worried about as well as their finding out what you’re doing.
While there are ways to discreetly monitor email without using 3rd party software, most parents won’t know how to do it. As a result, using parental control software that includes the ability to monitor email is the way to go.
There are numerous programs out there that allow parents to record everything your kids are doing online. Some programs, like eBlaster from SpectorSoft even notify parents right away by email with an exact copy of emails or instant messages so that parents know, practically in real time, what their kids are doing.
Keep in mind, though, that some programs are more “discreet” than others. As a result, you need to look for invisible – or ghost – key logging as well as making sure whatever program you choose offers a stealth mode. You should also consider remote monitoring. A good application that offers both a stealth mode feature and a remote monitoring feature is WebWatcher from AwarenessTech.
Not only that, but for those programs that send out instant emails, you definitely want to make sure that your kid doesn’t see that emails are being sent out. Otherwise you aren’t discreetly monitoring anything.
An Independent Review or Feedback from Scott
June 4, 2008 @ 4:54 pmI can not speak for the other products mentioned, but I can certainly vouch for Spector Pro. My wife and I installed it on our daughter’s computer and it has allowed us to monitor her internet activity discreetly and easily.
I had heard of keyloggers before but I had no idea software like this could include so many features. The Spector Pro program records all the keystrokes, chats, emails and it even takes snap shots of the screen that I can play back like a VCR. It allows me to see everything that has been on the computer screen.
We originally purchased the program because we were concerned about her use of MySpace and Facebook. One of the main reasons we chose Spector Pro was because it has separate recording features for these sites. I can see all the MySpace and Facebook information separately; including login information, profiles she is viewing and who is viewing her; it even lets me when she posts to her blog or posts pictures.
This program has been a real life saver. It not only allowed us to correct some issues we were concerned with; but it now gives us the piece of mind that comes from knowing EXACTLY what she is doing online.
I can’t recommend it highly enough; in fact my wife is a school teacher and recommends this program to many of her students’ parents. Just Google Spector Pro and check out their web site. You will see what I mean.
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An Independent Review or Feedback from PandoraFan
April 2, 2008 @ 12:00 pmActually, I prefer PC Pandora. I wasn’t happy with other products. PC Pandora’s monitoring suit records everything via screen shots and individually… but it’s also very very user freindly. Pretty much the same price as the others, but more comprehensive… I don’t know, I just liked them more and stuck with them.