Sheila
I'm an old fashioned parent. My house my rules.
And my number one rule is that no one living under my roof has the "Right to Privacy". Don't like it, move out. But that's the way it is. If I have reason to suspect foul play going on, I will not stop at anything until I discover what it is. And I always do.
When my kids were teens especially, I did a weekly room check. I did a weekly bookbag check. And I monitored where they were, with whom, ect. I knew what they did on the computer. And yes, I read diaries.
There were times when my kids swore I could read minds and was all knowing. lol Because it wasn't just me, I had a crowd of other parents and neighbors keeping an eye on them too who reported to me anything suspicious.
It is your job to protect your child, even from themselves at times. But you also have to prepare yourself for what you may find out at any given time and be able to deal with it. Because like reading diaries......it most likely won't be pretty. Nichole had a good year or more where I was equvilant to pure evil in her eyes. lol Her diary was where she poured out her true feelings, fortunately for her I understood that and could read it without taking it to heart.
It worked for me. My kids really never had an issue with it unless they were trying to get away with something. They still don't have an issue with it. And my kids never managed to get into any serious trouble. Which was all I was trying to avoid.
And yes.......I've used google. That's how I kept track of K during the years we were estranged.
Hugs