It's a checkbox in the prefs. Ain't rocket science. I log all my AIMs so I can refer back to them if need be.
And I'm guessing kids especially would just as soon not leave that kind of diary for their parents to review.
They might have thought the parents woudn't be savvy enough to find them -- or the parents might not have given them a choice. I haven't used the AOL client application in a while -- is logging IMs an option in the parental controls?
"It's a checkbox in the prefs."
Where? I have gone through my 'prefs' menu from top to bottom and have yet to see any reference to logging.