Remember diaries with a key? Teens confided their thoughts to the pages and locked them tight so no one else could see. Today, teens and pre-teens are more likely to confess secrets to blogs, online journals open to anyone who cares to take a look.

The number of blogs is growing exponentially and experts estimate over half are maintained by 13 to 19 year olds. That’s not surprising. Teens and pre-teens crave attention. Blogs are a way to say “I’m here. Pay attention.” Even kids who don’t blog often read what other kids have to say.

Parents of teens should be reading teen blogs too in part because your teen is probably contemplating, if not keeping, a blog. To find out, try asking. Or consult administrators at your child’s school. (Kids who know each other often gravitate to the same blogging site.) Myspace.com, xanga.com and livejournal.com are popular sites that allow searches by name. If you don’t find kids you know, it doesn’t mean they aren’t blogging, just that they are savvy enough not to use their real names.

Some parents feel they shouldn’t look for a child’s blog because it is, somehow, an invasion of privacy. Nonsense. A blog is less like a journal or diary and more like a billboard put up in the mall for all to see. Kids are, of course, entitled to some privacy but most blogs are not private. Having a parent find a child’s blog is one of the most dramatic ways of demonstrating that ANYONE can read what’s posted in a blog.

Even if your own teen isn’t blogging yet, browsing through the posts of other kids opens an extraordinary window into adolescent life at the beginning of the 21st century. Much of what kids write is trivial—quizzes, jokes, what they ate for breakfast, reasons for avoiding homework. If nothing else, these entries confirm the profound boredom that afflicts many American teens. Parents who read blogs will also be vividly reminded of the intensity of adolescent emotions. There’s a lot of why-am-I-here angst and loves-me/loves-me not anxiety.

From an adult point of view, the most disturbing blog entries brag about exploits with sex, drugs and alcohol. Some of this is wishful thinking, the equivalent of locker room lying. On the other hand, many teens seem to solicit adult adventures by including explicit photos and contact information such as names, addresses, e-mail addresses and even phone numbers.

Despite their sleazy potential, blogs can be hugely creative, a form of self-publishing for anyone with access to a keyboard. Kids often add photos to blogs and some even go to the effort of making vlogs (blogs with video clips). A serious blogger also has to develop some discipline—thinking of something interesting to write everyday isn’t as easy as it sounds. For that reason alone, teen blogs are often short-lived. Many kids post obsessively for a while and get bored when there is little feedback.

Perhaps the most important reason for reading blogs is that it will spark conversation with your teen. Talk about how you feel about what you find on blogs—good as well as bad--and ask questions like these about the process of blogging.

Where do teens blog? Blogging websites vary tremendously in content and policies. Myspace.com requires bloggers to be 16 though many kids simply lie about age to get an account. Xanga.com allows bloggers as young as 13 but makes it easy to delete posts if a blogger has second thoughts. Many of the mainstream portals—AOL, Yahoo and MSN—now offer blogging options that include privacy features. At AOL’s Red Blogs, for example, bloggers can keep a truly private journal or an invitation only blog. For many teens, this option is preferable to a blog that can be seen by anyone.

Is it OK to include photos? Nearly every blogging website makes it easy to post digital pics. Even a first glance shows that kids are competing to create the most mysterious, attractive and often seductive photos. Talk to your child about whether it’s cool or creepy to have your picture in a place where anyone, including strangers, can ogle it.

Who reads blogs? Often the answer is nobody. That’s why the sites make it easy to build a friend list. Unless a blogger tells people about a post, it’s unlikely to be read. On the other hand, anyone can read an open blog, and some posts win attention from lots of people and even mainstream media. Unbridled blogging can lead to unpleasant consequences, and often teens don’t think through the implications of posting private frustrations in a public space. Post a scathing comment about a coach? The entire team (including the coach) may know tomorrow. A clever but cruel post about a classmate may attract the attention of school administrators who are beginning to use blogs to keep up with problematic student behaviors including bullying. Even more serious, Internet predators can use blogs to glean information about teens they plan to target.

Can blogs be “undone”? Teens are famous for volatility. An afterschool crisis is trivial by dinnertime. Unfortunately, once something is recorded in a blog, it’s difficult if not impossible to retract it. Even blogs with privacy and delete features don’t keep other people from copying and redistributing what a teen has written. Help your child understand that an uncensored blog gives a powerful weapon to bullies, former friends and jilted dates, not to mention future employers, political opponents and possible love interests.

Blogs, like so many things on the Internet, have the potential to induce panic in parents. Don’t go there. Take a deep breath. Talk to your child. Arrive at rules for pre-teens. Encourage good judgement in older teens. Whether blogs are a blip or a permanent part of the American landscape, they offer parents a unique glimpse into the world of adolescence and a not-to-be-missed opportunity to comment and possibly shape what they find there.

Carolyn Jabs is a Former Contributing Editor for Family PC and mother of three computer savvy kids. More of her columns are on her website www.growing-up-online.com.

Copyright @ Carolyn Jabs 2005. All rights reserved.