Should Your Parents Track You?

October 13, 2025

Parents are increasingly using GPS to track their children. With a smartphone or a service such as Life360, parents can get an alert when their teenager leaves school or home, follow them as they walk or ride down the street, and even track the speed of a teen driver’s car.

Many parents say they just want to keep their kids safe, and even some teens say sharing their whereabouts makes them feel more secure. But critics of tracking say it invades teens’ privacy, damages their trust in their parents, and robs them of the opportunity to be responsible for themselves, a key part of becoming an adult.

So should parents track your location? A parenting expert and a cybersecurity specialist face off on the question.

When parents use GPS technology to keep track of your location, it’s rarely about control. More often, it’s about care—a quiet way of saying “I want you to come home safe.”

A recent study from Duke University suggests that as many as half of parents in the U.S. track their teen’s location. That’s because emergencies happen. Plans change or go awry. And in those moments, knowing where you are can give parents the ability to help. They want to be there when you need them, even if you don’t ask.

Tracking doesn’t have to feel like a loss of freedom. In fact, it can open the door to more of it, as long as there’s mutual respect. Parents might agree to check in only when it’s necessary—for instance, when you’re out with friends but not when you’re at home or school.

And there should be room to renegotiate the terms as teens get older. Setting boundaries with your parents allows you to share responsibility, which makes everyone feel more secure. You know you’ll have a safety net when you need it, and your parents will know they can trust you.

Parents want to be there when you need them, even if you don’t ask.

But doesn’t being tracked mean you’re not trusted? Not usually. Most parents are worried less about their teens making bad choices than they are about the unpredictable world around them. So they might want an alert when your phone or car strays from your expected location or if you’re trying to call for help. This is less about surveillance and more about support and peace of mind—for everyone involved.

Our organization encourages families to talk openly about boundaries, privacy, and respect. You deserve independence, but you also deserve to be safe. The people who love you most want both for you. If your parents track your location, it’s not because they’re trying to hold you back. It’s because they’re holding on to the hope that you’re OK—wherever you are.

—GENEVIEVE RIVERA
Executive Director, American Society for the Positive Care of Children

Most people value their privacy. We’re uncomfortable when we know other people are watching us. After all, it’s usually nobody’s business where we’re going or what we’re doing, right?

Young kids are used to being watched by their parents. But most teenagers no longer want—or need—to be monitored all the time. They want to be able to hang out with their friends without being followed as though they were living in an authoritarian state, reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984.

Part of being a teen is learning how to make decisions independently. Sometimes teens make bad choices, and they usually learn from such experiences. But when their parents use location-tracking technology, teens may feel like they’re being followed constantly. That could interfere with their ability to learn—and grow—from their mistakes.

Families that use location tracking might say it’s convenient to know where everyone is—parents as well as kids. And some teens may prefer that their mom or dad knows their whereabouts. But even in these cases, it’s important that the decision to enable location tracking is made with the consent of the person being tracked.

Most teenagers don’t want—or need—to be monitored all the time.

For one thing, tracking where teens go may send a message that they can’t be trusted—especially if it’s done without telling them. If they find out, teens may become angry and resentful. They might even start leaving their phones in one place, such as a friend’s house, while they go somewhere else, or powering off their devices so they can’t be followed everywhere they go. If a real emergency were to happen, they might be left without a way to communicate.

As useful as tracking technology can be, and as tempted as parents might be to use it, there’s no substitute for trust—and that works both ways.

—LORRIE FAITH CRANOR
Director, CyLab Security and Privacy Institute, Carnegie Mellon University