In yesterday’s Quick Hits, we mentioned the fascinating story of a son suing his mom over harassment after she allegedly slandered him on his Facebook profile and locked him out of his account. Today, some new details on the case emerged that call the mother’s actions into a different light.

From CBS News:

“An Arkansas woman says she was just doing her due diligence as a mother when she logged onto her 16-year-old’s Facebook page and read his posts, which she didn’t like one bit — so she changed his password, and locked him out.”

[...]

“Denise New says her son forgot to log off of his Facebook page one day while using her computer so she took the opportunity to do a little snooping. New says the boy had written that he had gone to Hot Springs one night and drove 95 mph on the way home because he was upset with a girl. Several other posts on his site also bothered her, but she refused to elaborate.”

If the son did in fact leave his Facebook page open, is his claim that his mother hacked his account accurate? Additionally, does the fact that the son was using his mother’s computer and not his own make a difference in his claims? Lastly, does a parent who claims to be trying to protect their child have authority over the child’s social networking life? (Keep in mind that the boy’s legal guardian is his grandmother.)

Although this case is an isolated incident that will likely set no new precedent in Internet law, it is an interesting example of how parenting has changed in the digital age. Increasingly, kids are living most of their lives online. While there are advantages and disadvantages to this, the fact remains that parents owe it to their kids to be involved in their digital lives.

The specific circumstances of this case may play out in the son’s favor (we still have no clear understanding of his relationship to his mother), but no matter what happens with the case, parents should ask themselves what they really know about how their kids are using the web and what steps they are taking to help protect them from endangering themselves and their reputations online.