Mass. — Smartphones, GPS apps, and air tags have made it easier than ever for parents to know where their kids are and what they’re doing. In fact, studies show about half of U.S. parents now use location-tracking apps to monitor their teens. Supporters say it’s about safety. Critics warn it can cross the line from protection to surveillance. So, when does tracking help, and when can it actually hurt?
A decade ago, checking in meant a phone call, a curfew, or waiting until your kid walked through the door.
Today, it’s real-time location sharing and constant notifications. Apps like Life360, Apple “Find My,” Google Family Link, and AirTags allow parents to see where their kids are every minute of the day.
Supporters say it adds a critical layer of safety, helping parents find kids in emergencies and respond faster when something goes wrong. The CDC says parental monitoring can reduce risky behaviors like substance use, but psychologists warn that constant digital tracking is different from healthy monitoring.
“It can signal to the child that the parents don’t trust them. And in turn, I’ve seen they internalize that and think that they can’t trust themselves,” said Brittany O’Sullivan, Registered Mental Health Intern.
Research shows adolescents who feel overcontrolled by parents are more likely to experience lower self-confidence, higher anxiety, and difficulty making independent decisions. Experts say tracking without context, without communication, and without a plan to scale back can damage relationships.
“I see, when I see college students that are constantly being tracked, they start to resent their parents, and they start to feel helpless because they feel like their parents can’t trust them,” explained O’Sullivan.
Experts say the healthiest approach is a plan to let go, setting clear milestones, limiting alerts, and using tracking only for true safety needs.
Experts say if you’re still tracking an adult child, ask yourself why. If it’s about safety, set limits. If it’s about anxiety, it may be time to step back because raising independent adults means eventually trusting them.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
To receive a free weekly email on Smart Living from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10238636
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
