Parents tracking their children

[intrestedvic]

I am always reading on threads how people know where their children are due to apple air tags or, apps, or location sharing on a phone.

Not just on mumsnet but in my circle I know lots of parents who use maps or share location with children.

I am a parent to small children currently but I was wondering opinions on this situation. If you track your children and why and if not why not?

P3N · Today 13:54

We as a family of 4 have life360. We can all see each other. It helped us recently when my DD got lost with her mates when she went out (not very street wise)

That does sound useful in this situation. However, what would your not-very-streetwise daughter have done if she'd lost her phone?

I had no intention of "tracking" my son and he was the last one in his y6 class to get a phone. He was already walking home from school and out and about in the park with his friends and I never felt worried (and we live in a slightly less desirable area 🙃) before he got a phone as I would know broadly where he was.... but then he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes right before his birthday and getting a phone and then he HAD to have a phone to monitor his glucose and I have to follow that, phone for help with calculating insulin etc.... and then it became necessary to find him when he was out with friends and his glucose was low etc.... Now I have Tile trackers on many of his belongings (because he also has ADHD and loses EVERYTHING) so I pretty much know where he, or at least his phone and belongings, are at anytime.

My son is 20 and does loads of driving. I just like to know he’s safe. He has said he doesn’t care if I have it on. My other son won’t entertain it, which is fine.

I don't have kids but I have Find my Iphone on with my sister. We both travel a lot so it makes sense to be able to track each other in case of the worst. I hardly ever check it tbh, maybe sometimes if she's on her way to my house and I want to see if she's left yet so I can time food.

I can be anxious around planes though so I do admit to tracking my family's planes while they're in the air.

I think you are on to something there.

The relationship DH and I have with our two teenage DSs is so different to the ones we had with our parents are the same age it is like night and day.

DS1 is 19 this year and at Uni, though lives at home because we are in a Uni city and that is pretty standard here. He has a job and comes and goes as he pleases obviously. But he is so chill and happy to hang out with us. We spend zero time wondering what he is up to or assuming he is up to no good. And he knows that. He takes the car regularly and doesn't need to tell us where he is going (though to be far if I wanted to know I can track the car itself - but I don't, because I know I can) though he does need to pop in the shared calendar if he wants it as it is MY car.

DS2 is 13 and is coming along the same path, he comes and goes with his mates who all seem to be a pretty good crew. He gets his school work done, hangs out with us, has freedom etc.

We are more involved in their lives than our parents were at the same age. Google hangouts, calendar, locations etc and yet at the same time they have far more freedom than we did.

Who knows I may be delusional and DS2 might be up to no good with his mates. But if DS1 is any 'proof of pudding' then it will probably be fine.

The only anxiety the shared locations thing relieves here is when I am up at 4am with my insane menopausal clock. I like to have a peek and see that all 4 of us as where I expect.