The Guinea Pigs of Location Tracking: Has it Gone Too Far?

Sara Paige Dale, 27

Imagine this: you get a call from your mom, who sounds flustered when you pick up the phone as she asks “Where the hell are you!?” Of course, you’re just in your car on your way home from school, and although you have given her absolutely no reason not to trust this is where you’d be, your mother insists on keeping tabs on your location every second of the day.

Whether you’re a parent or not, it is clear that location tracking has become a reality for teens in our society. Technology has advanced at an impressive rate, with new location tracking devices and tools being debuted to this generation of youth. They serve as the guinea pigs for future generations. There are various options when it comes to location tracking apps and features, the simplest being apps installed on iPhones like Find My on iOS devices or Google Family for Android. Some apps can alert parents when their child leaves a certain location or even activate the microphone on their child’s phone remotely to record audio. other (such as) apps can prevent the child from knowing they are being tracked and can scan children's messages to alert parents to “concerning interactions” (BBC). As a kid who is experiencing this location tracking firsthand, I am left to question whether or not it is morally justified to track children's locations, especially without the child’s consent. While I agree that young children could benefit from having their location monitored, parents should not track their kid’s location as they grow up, due to harmful effects on crucial parent-child relationships and the development of the children themselves.

It’s no surprise that teenagers have figured out ways around these apps, so how effective are they? Being a sixteen-year-old girl myself, I’ve seen my fair share of methods to avoid parental stalking. Whether it’s setting phones on airplane mode, leaving them at a friend's house, or even changing the settings of phones to project the location of a burner phone instead of a real one, there are always ways around it if you’re determined enough. According to a survey conducted by cybersecurity company Malwarebytes,  84% of parents in the United States use some form of tracking to monitor their children (Malwarebytes Labs). So yes, the majority of parents have access to their children’s location, but does this knowledge even ensure their child’s safety? You may know where your child is, but you have no idea what they’re doing. This is not to say that parents should know what their child is doing every minute. Regardless, knowing where their kids are does not mean they can ensure their safety in a majority of circumstances.

Many parents choose to track their children because it gives them peace of mind to know where their kids are and that they are safe, but at what cost? Parental tracking can seriously impact child development and parent-child relationships in ways you may not expect. When teenagers from various high schools were surveyed by the New York Times, their answers showed the true effects this leash can have on parental relationships. The teens found it important to learn street smarts and independence, which were hindered by parents constantly watching over them. The children believed it was an invasion of privacy, and when their parents began to track them, the students took that as a blatant display of distrust. The students also mentioned that trust goes both ways, and kids should be able to trust their parents enough to tell them where they are, rather than it being forced upon them (The Learning Network). App makers and advertisers make parents believe implementing their apps is an act of parental love. An expert in children’s digital rights and safety, Sonia Livingstone, instead believes, “the most important thing for development is that the child learns to trust the parent and the parent the child” (BBC). This trust will prove to be crucial moving forward in their lives, and the foundation is laid here and now, but instead, parents continuously rely on location-tracking devices instead of trusting their children. Not to mention that as a kid, it seems hypocritical for parents to track us, considering they grew up without their locations tracked; they turned out just fine. You don’t have to look far to find teenagers, especially since there is only a limited amount of places they really ever go. Parents grew up and learned responsibility through trial and error, independence, and freedom, so why shouldn’t their children be allowed the same?

While location tracking could be a helpful tool for young children, it could seriously hinder their development as children grow into their teenage years.Young children may benefit from that additional peace of mind knowing their parent is looking out for them, along with parents feeling secure and willing to let their younger child be more independent, while still keeping them safe. However, as children grow into their teen years, this helicopter approach to parenting feels like it does more harm than help. Part of a teenager's normal development includes the urge for privacy and the ability to work through their first platonic and romantic relationships or fit in with peers. This stage of seeking independence is crucial in fostering a sense of personal responsibility, learning to make their own decisions, and establishing their values (Jones). According to a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University Judy Ho Gavazza, when parents become over-involved in their teenagers' lives, they tend to rebel (Gavazza). So, while this is an effective tactic for younger kids, it can have the opposite effect once they reach their teenage years. As children age, their responsibilities grow - Why should their independence and self-sufficiency be limited? A huge part of growing up is learning through trial and error. They may mess up, but they can learn from these mistakes and ultimately be better equipped to deal with similar situations in the future. The trust formed in their early years will set the foundation for your child to want to come to you moving forward and will build a bond that will last a lifetime.

Now, I’ll admit I am no parent, and I cannot control any parental decisions someone makes. Each child is remarkably unique, and nobody knows how to raise them better than their parental figures. Parents should consider how children perceive this location tracking, how it may affect their relationships with parental figures, and the mutual trust that goes along with that. We are the first generation in which location tracking is possible, so navigating the parental decision-making that comes with that is complicated and ever-evolving. In my experience, and many other teenagers who have grown up being tracked, location-tracking devices break the trust between parents and their children, hinder their preparedness for future interactions they may have moving forward, and do not entirely ensure the safety of their children anyhow. Remember, if you loosen the reins and let your child fly, they will fall -  but, I assure you, they will get back up again, and the skills they learn in the process will be the most valuable lesson of their young lives.