Traits change, expertise advances, but youngsters all the time appear to remain the identical. They discover new methods to keep up social relevance — typically by doing issues older generations don’t perceive. (Don’t imagine me? Simply attempt to guess what any of their slang phrases imply.) One of many newest teen traits is one thing that may increase a number of eyebrows amongst mother and father, as a consequence of security and privateness issues: location monitoring.
Though teenagers crave independence from their mother and father, they’re voluntarily sharing their real-time whereabouts with their pals. Common cellphone monitoring app Life360 just lately discovered that Gen Z is 70% more likely than another age group to share their location with pals. And 94% of Gen Z surveyed mentioned their lives profit from location sharing.
In Could 2025, Snapchat introduced that its location-sharing Snap Map has greater than 400 million month-to-month lively customers, per TechCrunch. This influences different social media platforms, as Instagram is reportedly engaged on an analogous Pal Map to permit customers to see their pals’ areas.
Many adults, together with Leigh McInnis, the manager director of Newport Healthcare, could really feel cautious about this pattern; nonetheless, McInnis retains an open thoughts. “Whereas my rapid intuition is said to safety of privateness and bounds,” she informed HuffPost, “I notice that this impulse is probably going extra associated to my generational id and discomfort with expertise and monitoring than the social wants and preferences of right this moment’s teenagers and younger adults.”
McInnis added, “I believe that you will need to discover the operate of a habits earlier than judging it or intervening in it.”
Unsure what to consider it — or how to make sure your teen makes use of an app like this safely? Hold studying for expert-backed opinions that will help you perceive why your teenagers would possibly like sharing their location, in addition to recommendations on setting boundaries and purple flags to search for.
Location Sharing Isn’t Essentially New
“Lots of the teenagers I work with — together with my very own daughter — share their location with their pals,” mentioned Dr. Cameron Caswell, adolescent psychologist, host of “Parenting Teenagers with Dr. Cam” podcast, and guardian of a teen. “It’s a little bit about security, however largely ‘as a result of it’s simply enjoyable to see what one another is doing.’”
“One mother I labored with informed me her daughter was shocked to search out an ex-boyfriend nonetheless had entry to her location. After all, that defined why he stored ‘randomly’ displaying up wherever she was.”
– Dr. Cameron Caswell, adolescent psychologist
Again within the olden days (circa 2006), teenagers would replace their Myspace standing to let what they have been as much as. Later, they “checked in” to locations on Foursquare and Facebook, shared real-time updates on Snapchat and Instagram tales, and tweeted each element of their lives. Now, they use Snapchat’s Snap Map, Life360, or Apple’s location sharing to share with their pals in all places they’re in actual time.
“This isn’t new,” Caswell mentioned. “In a world the place almost every thing is shared, this doesn’t really feel invasive to teenagers — it feels regular. It’s simply one other means they keep looped into one another’s lives.”
Teenagers additionally use apps like this to trace their mother and father, in line with Caswell, whose personal daughter will textual content her if she sees her mother is at Ulta and ask for lip gloss.
“For a lot of teenagers, location sharing is about connection and a way of security,” Caswell defined. “It’s their means of claiming, ‘You’re in my circle’ and ‘I’ve obtained your again.’”
Understanding The Dangers
Regardless that sharing your location with pals could be in style, it doesn’t come with out penalties. Cheryl Groskopf, an nervousness, trauma, and attachment therapist based mostly in Los Angeles, sees teenagers sharing their areas as a means “to handle nervousness, monitor social dynamics and really feel much less alone.”
“There’s consolation in understanding the place your individuals are, particularly in a world the place teenagers consistently really feel like they may get not noted, changed or excluded,” she mentioned. “However that consolation is fragile — it depends on fixed entry (which leaves their nervous system hypervigilant to feeling ‘not noted’).”
“For those who’re checking somebody’s location since you don’t belief what they’re telling you — or as a result of they don’t belief you — then it’s already crossed right into a management dynamic,” Groskopf mentioned.
In her apply, she’s seen teenagers “spiral” once they spot their buddy at a celebration they weren’t invited to, or “as a result of somebody didn’t reply quick sufficient, however ‘was clearly at residence.’” She defined, “It turns into a setup for overthinking, panic and social surveillance.”
“Teenagers shouldn’t use location sharing when it’s getting used to keep away from rejection, handle another person’s nervousness, or show loyalty,” she added.
McInnis mentioned, “Teenagers sharing their location and having their pals monitor them may hurt their psychological well being.” Continually seeing (and evaluating) your mates’ social actions “can result in emotions of inadequacy,” she added.
Caswell agreed. “Location sharing can intensify FOMO (worry of lacking out) and social exclusion,” she mentioned. “Seeing a bunch of pals hanging out with out them — even unintentionally — could make them really feel lonelier and extra not noted.”
Along with these emotional dangers, there are bodily dangers, too. Like a teen’s location information being out there to somebody who would possibly want them hurt. “Within the mistaken arms, it will possibly make [teens] extra susceptible to stalking, harassment and even predatory habits, particularly if they’re in controlling relationships,” Caswell mentioned.
There’s A Gender Hole
Teen ladies could also be extra possible to make use of location sharing as a approach to really feel safer. In keeping with the Life360 survey, 70% of Gen Z girls imagine their bodily well-being advantages from location sharing. Within the discipline, our specialists additionally discovered that females have been extra possible to do that.
Caswell mentioned that “largely ladies” will brazenly share their location with pals, “each for enjoyable and since it makes them really feel safer understanding somebody all the time is aware of the place they’re.”
Nevertheless, this sense of security is a double-edged sword, as it will possibly “enhance the danger of stalking, harassment and even sexual violence,” Caswell mentioned. “Particularly when their location is shared with the mistaken particular person, which is usually somebody they know and belief.”
Groskopf warns of the risks ladies and femme teenagers could expertise when their use of location-sharing is weaponized in opposition to them. “It will possibly simply flip into emotional surveillance disguised as closeness,” she defined. (For instance, a buddy or accomplice telling them, “For those who belief me, you’ll let me see the place you might be.”)
“I see these sorts of patterns play out in high-control dynamics — pals or companions checking areas to not keep secure, however to handle nervousness, jealousy or energy,” Groskopf mentioned. “And ladies are far more prone to internalize that and comply, even when it feels off. They’re extra prone to be conditioned to keep away from battle, handle different folks’s feelings, and maintain the peace — even when meaning overriding their very own boundaries.”
That’s why educating your youngsters how one can set boundaries, in actual life and on-line, is necessary.
Setting Boundaries
Instructing your teen how one can deal with location-sharing in a secure means begins with conversations round consent and the flexibility to say no.
When requested if there’s a secure means for teenagers to share their areas, Groskopf mentioned, “Provided that there’s actual consent, boundaries, and the liberty to decide out with out punishment.”
On this case, the punishment could possibly be feeling guilt-tripped or rejected by a buddy. “Which means not simply technically having the choice to cease sharing, however understanding you received’t be guilted, shut out, or shamed for those who do,” Groskopf continued. “A guardian saying, ‘I wish to know the place you might be in case of emergency’ is one factor. A buddy saying, ‘Why’d you flip off your location?’ with passive-aggressive silence afterward is one thing else solely.”
She added, “Secure monitoring solely works when it’s not being weaponized to manage another person’s worry, jealousy or insecurity.”
How To Discuss To Your Teen About Location Sharing
Begin the dialog with curiosity, not criticism, Caswell mentioned. “As an alternative of banning [location sharing], I like to recommend strolling by privateness settings collectively and having calm conversations about why they’re sharing within the first place,” she mentioned. “Is it for security? To really feel linked to their bestie? As a result of they really feel pressured to? Serving to teenagers perceive why they’re doing it makes location sharing rather a lot safer and extra intentional.”
From there, encourage your teen to solely share their location with “a small, trusted circle of shut pals or household,” and test in on this checklist regularly.
“One mother I labored with informed me her daughter was shocked to search out an ex-boyfriend nonetheless had entry to her location,” Caswell mentioned. “After all, that defined why he stored ‘randomly’ displaying up wherever she was. As an alternative of freaking out, the mother used it as a possibility to speak together with her daughter about how one can use tech extra safely shifting ahead.”
It’s all the time a good suggestion to speak along with your teenagers about how one can keep secure on-line and set boundaries round privateness with their pals. However take into account, this begins at residence. “Let your teen say no to you typically,” Caswell steered.
“Training boundaries with somebody secure provides them the arrogance to do it with somebody who isn’t,” she added. “That’s how they construct real-world security expertise — not simply digital ones.”
