Teens/Children and Internet Security

When Miss B and Charlie were younger, it took a long time for me to let them access the internet without me right by their side the entire time. I progressed to letting them surf pre-approved sites but absolutely NO SEARCHING!

About three years ago, Miss B wanted her own facebook page and Dr. Love and I made her register under her nickname and our last name (which is different than hers). We weren't sure what facebook was all about and we wanted to maintain her anonymity. And there was the caveat that we knew her login and password information. A few months later, we were more comfortable when Charlie joined and he's under his own name.

When the kids got phones, we wrote up call & text usage rules, explained them in great detail, made them explain them in return and made them sign their names to the rules. One of those rules is that Dr. Love or I can (and do) check the text messages sent/received at any given time and woe to you if you've deleted your entire in/out box!

So when I was given the opportunity from BzzAgent to join a campaign for TrueCare Awareness Online I was not of a mind to be a part of the free, 3-month trial subscription. But then I decided to try it just to see what it's all about.

This is how it worked: As a BzzAgent, I was given a free, 3-month trial subscription to the TrueCare program. In return for the free subscription, I was asked to evaluate the program and share my opinion with my friends. Hence this blog post :).

I signed up with TrueCare, gave them Miss B's online subscription logins, etc... and then began receiving alerts when certaiin words & phrases showed up in her posts, notes and comments. Suprisingly to me, I got alerts when she used the word "fire." She was quoting song lyrics about God's refining fire. I got others alerts as well, she once wrote of "hating" something, but there was never anything that was truly inappropriate for her to write. I do like that any alarms words/phrases written by anyone else on her page show up in alerts as well.

I realize that not all parents are as vigilant as I am. I am blessed that Miss B's & Charlie's relationships with Dr. Love and I are good ones. I don't seem to have sneaky kids. (I believe I know why but that's a topic for a different post altogether!). So, I think the TrueCare Awareness Program can be of good value for some parents. The cost is low, only $10/month.

I don't plan to continue the service once my trial period is over. I still have a good handle on the kids' friendships, internet usage, etc... But I do recommend it for anyone who is looking for a little extra help!