Tracking teenager's phone

[Lol1973]

Just wondering what your views are on tracking your teenager's phone ?
Thanks

Depends on their age.

Breach of privacy. If they find out then they will be rightfully furious.

Aim to work on trust so that your child will be happy to keep you informed of their whereabouts.

I'd do it. Safety trumps their privacy in my eyes. I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about it for a few years yet.

It's not me I'm asking for. It's my teenage sister who's phone is being tracked , personally I don't agree with it. I was just wondering what people think about it

My young teens phone is tracked and I have all the passwords. This is not a secret. I am very clear that having a phone has lots of pluses, but also carries many dangers and it is my job as a parent to guide her on its usage and keep her safe. I will eventually stop tracking her phone. I don’t have a specific age in mind. It will depend on how she develops and behaves.

I would have been annoyed as a teen, and more likely to leave my phone at home therefore also not having phone if I got in trouble!

I think if it's been discussed with the teen it's different to just doing it. It would also slightly depend on age and if there was a reason behind it. I think tracking for example a responsible 17 year old's phone without their knowledge is appalling.

Fine if they know about and have agreed to it. Fine if they're a younger teenager and having it is a condition of them having the phone, stated in advance. Absolutely wrong to do covertly.

We've got Life360 on ours (all of us). Not very interesting at the moment. It says he's been home since 10th March. We only use it to see if he's got to school OK and when I'm on my way home from work (remember when that was a thing) so DH can start tea.

Do you mean tracking software?

We have it. We actually got it at DD’s request when she was going through a period of anxiety. We’ve barely used it since, but has been useful on occasion for broken down trains etc!

How old is she, and why do they feel the need?

I track mine they are 14 and 11 it’s a condition of me paying for it.

We have family link and can all see where each other are (so he is tracking us too I suppose!). He is only 11 though and it was one of the rules when he got his phone when he went to high school. It is incredibly useful if I am at work and can check he got home/the bus is late and I can see where he is etc.

She has had the parent control app on her phone for about a year or so. But I have descovered it has a tracking feature on today where it wont let her turn her location off. She was unaware of this. I'm just asking your opinions on the matter because I want to understand your reasoning behind it as I'm a bit stuck whether or not to bring it up

I think it’s her not being aware of it that’s the problem. In my family we all share our location on find friends all the time with each other. DH, my parents and grandparents. I even have a few very close friends on there. No teenagers as we don’t have anyone of that age yet.

For our DCs though it would be an expectation, they’d also be to see where me and DH are. It’s actually a really useful function. We wouldn’t make an issue of it we’d just frame at as a really useful part of having a phone.

I have Ds age 17 on find my friends. He can see where I am on it too. It’s not an issue for us.

I have it on my 14 year old’s and he isn’t able to turn it off. He prefers me to check it rather than tell me where he’s going! Plan to remove it in the next year I think.

I can understand the reasoning behind but it's the fact that she doesn't have a clue that bothers me

Difficult. I would have hated it when I was a teen but our Nokia’s didn’t come with the capacity to track but on the other hand, smart phones open the world up a lot larger than they did when I was a teen.

What have your parents said about it?

but it's the fact that she doesn't have a clue that bothers me

This would bother me. I regularly remind DD it’s there and that she can remove it at any time.

My dc1 is 18 and he's just stopped allowing me access, which is fine as they are an adult, I would never do it without their knowledge and it's always been a condition that I can track them, works both ways as they both regularly track me as well.

Again; how old is she?
It’s been asked repeatedly!

With consent, it’s fine. Mine all have it, also my DH and Mil and vice versa. I never ever mention it, but they’ll often message me, ‘what are you doing in Placeville?’

Personally I don't agree with it unless you made a deal together, but u shouldn't have to, u need to build trust and a bond with your kids .