I'd recommend against this sort of thing. While it's good to know what your teenagers are up to, I daresay, (as someone who was a teenager not all that long ago) that there are probably a number of things you'd be better off not knowing.
Unfortunatly for him, they hacked it, made it irrelevent.
Ironically, they now hassle him over websites he goes to. (Not porn sites, but they still mock him).
If the kids are smart, its all a waste of time and money.
My sister uses one of these systems on her computer, not sure which one. Contrary to the previous poster's comment, when it comes to where your teenagers are going on the web, "Ignorance is not bliss."
If it is not good for our kids maybe it isn't good for us either.
Here is some advice tho .. make yourself the ONLY Administrator on their computer and set a very complex password .. that would be easy for you to remember. For example: iH2Pc4lr .. I have 2 pork chops for later (the caps being before and after the 2). Of course you would make up your own and take care they don't learn your password. If they cannot log on as Admin, they can't disable your key logger.
I appreciate your good intentions, but I respectfully disagree with your approach.
I would talk to your teenager on a daily basis to understand where her/his head is at, and tell them you trust them to use good judgement, and then demonstrate that trust. That is far more powerful in building their character than a $10 spyware program that will teach your kids not to trust you.
Thanks all. FYI, we have basically good kids, but it's what else that's out there that causes concern. They know we're going to install a monitoring program and other than wrinkled noses there wasn't an outburst, so all's well on the homefront. Now, to think up a very complicated password.
Speaking as a 21 year old, this is a waste of time and money and is likely to backfire.
Sit down and talk with your kids as equals, if they're old enough. If they're not, just lay down the law. If you've done a good job until now, and you probably have, there's not too much to worry about. If you haven't, this is just likely to make things worse.
If you are honestly worried about what your kids are doing on the internet and have good reason to distrust their choices.
My suggestion... Get a hardware device that plugs between the keyboard and the computer. Password protect it and don't tell them you have it. Use it randomly.
There are a bunch of different devices like keyghost and keycatcher that will do the job.
Tell your kids that you will be monitoring their computer activity but don't tell them how or when. Don't be surprised by the content you find. They are kids after all.
Before I did this, I would look at their internet history files and cookie files to see what sites they are visiting. In their personal \Local Settings\history folder you can see the sites they have visited since the last time the history was erased. If there is nothing there to make you distrust them, I suggest you leave them alone.
Are you the password protected Administrator of their computers? Why not?
Another technological measure which requires more savvy to use but which is far more subtle is a transparent packet/protocol analyzer like Ethereal.
I don't think it monitors keystrokes but it's a filtering service. You can check their website.
I don't use a key logger. I own a Netgear Firewall router. I can't see every letter that my kids type but I can see and restrict their access to websites that I find objectionable. I can also time and bandwidth limit the ports their computers are plugged into.
Like most here, I recommend that you be up front with your kids and tell them what you are doing and why.
If you prefer a software solution to a hardware solution look into BSafe's suite of virus and filtering products.
On Web http://www.bsafehome.com/
Damn, why don't you just plant a chip in their heads so you can read their every thought. Good try but, try communication first.
All I can say is parents, please don't be so clueless. Your child may be an angel, but the trash and filth being posted at teen blogs is unbelievable. And your angel's eyes can read it all.
You better be watching.... very closely.
Anyone who's savy with computers knows how use & download spyware detection programs. And alot of computer-gamers use it on the principle that spyware cookies clog up thier bandwidth and cause latency issues. Odds are they will discover it, and the fallout will be just as bad as if you put a spy-cam up in their room.
I have friend who got a keystroke filter put on his computer because his daughter chatted a lot. He din't catch her doing anything but he did catch his wife writing a seamy love letter to one of her co-workers.
So, he wants to check up on his kids and ends up getting divorced.