Legal Question in Family Law in Oregon

Re: Privacy and property rights of the child

I don't think you will like the answer, but a parent can legally look through a child's room and a child's possessions without permission and can destroy or remove possessions which the parent feels should not be there. Many people think it is a responsibility, not just a right, of a parent to keep an eye on what his or her child has and what the child is doing. If you recall the Columbine High School incident, many people blamed the parents, after the shooting, for not having paid more attention to what their children were doing and the fact that the children had acquired some pretty serious weapons. If the possessions include such things as diaries and correspondence, I would advise the child, as I often advise my adult clients, to be careful about what they put in writing unless they don't mind it being read.