The following forum excerpt was published 10 years ago on the webmd website, but it highlights an issue of key concern to members of this community - a child's right to privacy.

I'm a bad mom- read my 9 year old's diary, thinking what could be the harm? Whoa, big mistake.

In her diary, she has 2 "stories" that she's written. One involves Justin Bieber taking her pic and kissing her "privates" as she calls it, the other involves wearing skimpy, sheer clothing with body parts exposed for all to see. She also writes about masturbating.

This is a girl who is in 4th grade, has had grandparents as sitters, and has never been with anyone but family overnight. I monitor her internet usage, her TV viewing, and what she reads. As a teacher myself, my first instinct would be to question abuse, but there is no reason to suspect inappropriate behavior on anyone's part, and she and I have have talked on numerous occasions about inappropriate touching and responses. Other than these diary entries, I would never have a concern about her sexual well-being.

I don't have a problem with the masturbation-- I can easily talk to her and explain that even if it's occurring, she doesn't need to write about it. But the fantasies, for lack of a better word, are disturbing to me that a girl her age is writing about this. any suggestions or words of advice?

The obvious question:
Should a parent have the right to invade a child's privacy by reading his or her private journals or other private creations (such as drawings, stories, etc)?

Excepting emergencies (eg abduction, rape), absolutely not! Children have an inalienable right to their own fantasies without fear of parental invasion or censorship.

Even closer to this community's concerns, if an adult were to engage in "consensual" sex (regardless of AoC legality) with a very young girl, and the only evidence of such was in the girl's private journals, that journal should be inadmissible with regards to criminal sexual charges against her adult lover.

Naturally, I'm well aware that no jurisdiction on the planet would ever uphold the inadmissibility of such a journal as evidence. However, the question of a child's right to privacy remains an issue of perennial concern.

The full forum post can be found here:
https://forums.webmd.com/3/parenting-preteens-teenagers-exchange/forum/604