Does everyone track their children?

[CaNGCNk]

Is everyone tracking their child now? I had a few people surprised on another group because I said I don’t agree with tracking my children. In school they were talking about. I can see the appeal for a younger child a toddler maybe or a child thats a runner. But are we all just tracking our school age children now? (even if that doesn’t apply)

We have life 360 and have done for years, the kids track us too. The 9 year old doesn't have any devices so doesn't have it, but isn't out without us anyway.

None of mine have ever had tracking enabled on Snapchat.

Three are now adults and one of 15 (younger ones don’t have phones yet) and they’ve all not enabled snap maps because it’s been drilled into them at school and home how unsafe it is.

I’m with you, i have never done it and would have hated it as a teenager myself. I know I lied to my parents about where I was or what time I got in, is that not part of being a teenager? It also exacerbates anxiety in parents that are already trying to shelter their DC from the world
I was tracked without my knowledge by my ex husband, it made me feel violated when I found out.

oh and bloody love your username, no way would Margo track Jerry 🤣

AlphaApple
That was my exact thought. If it's seen as the norm to track somebody. Abusers use this method a lot.

One of my DDs has narcolepsy so will occasionally ask one person to have tracking on when she’s going somewhere alone. Generally only for long distances or new places.

So far she’s dumped three boyfriends, she’s mid 20s, for demanding they be allowed to track her.

With the ever increasing pressure on girls now with the influence of porn, incels and social media we really, really need to be making sure our girls know that it is not normal for a partner to demand to track you.

And drilling into our boys that is it’s not fucking suspicious if a partner doesn’t want tracked.

I have never tracked my children or even thought about it. They are older now but even if they were still young I wouldn't do it. One of them is tracking me though!

I should add they all have different circles on life 360 as well with their friends, so they quite like it. It tends to be used mainly to see if people have got the bus yet, have left activities or whatever. I like being able to see where DH is, because we run a business together that involves him being out and about, and while most of our work vehicles have trackers in there are a couple that aren't. Being able to see if he has left one job and is on to the next is handy.

The kids like to be able to see if we are about to arrive to pick them up, or have left to collect them etc

We track ours because we don't know which train they will get back, but need to be collected from the station. Obviously they could tell us, but they find it easier to just do what they want without thinking about us.

We've also tagged various bags belonging to the one of ours who loses things. Since the start of term we've had one thing lost on the train, but back with us really quickly and before it go sucked into the full lost property system, because it had a tracker. I think the trackers will pay for themselves really quickly in not having to replace lost kit.

Not my son but my DD yes. She can track me too.

The parental controls on my (teenage) DCs' phones automatically keep GPS on, the reality is it indicates where the phone was last used (not necessarily where the DC is now) and I have very little reason to want/ need to look up where they are. Generally they're good at texting me if something has gone awry (usually to do with the bus to/from school), but if they forgot the phone or have a dead battery so have to walk, they can't communicate with me, and I wouldn't be able to track a location anyway so it's better to go on trust and "train" them with contingency plans.

I temporarily share access to my location with them when I go for long runs in the holidays, particularly if I set off before teenager o'clock in the lunchtime morning. They don't seem to care.

I had an anxious DM who resisted my growing independence as a teenager and tends to fret about stuff. I learned as a young adult that it was better to tell her stuff after the event rather than giving her chance to anticipate and stress. I was one of the early phone owners in 6th form when they began to become affordable to mass market in the late 90s. Thank goodness that tracking was not a thing. She saw phones as a way that she could check up on others, but ironically was never a regular user of her own phone and would only turn it on when it suited her when going out. She never mastered text messaging which is bloody annoying 25+years later when she's too deaf to hear her landline and difficult to contact/ communicate with.

I'm not totally opposed to tracking and it can have its uses for occasional use, but as a parent I need to trust my DCs and their growing independence skill. I don't want to make myself anxious about their age-appropriate development, and I value them being comfortable about communicating and problem solving over purely knowing where they are.

Did she ever manage to do any work?

No. DS aged 15. Never have never will. DH and I don't track each other either. If I'm 5 mins away, I'll message to get the kettle on etc.

probsvly in the days he was at work lol!

I will track my DC when they are old enough to go out alone. Most of my friends with older children track them too. It's either that, or not be allowed to go out or only be allowed to go out to 'safe' or 'agreed' places and be picked up by parents.

I don't think it's unreasonable for parents to expect to know where u16s are at all times, personally. After that, it would be personal choice and we'd have a discussion about consent, safety benefits and how to turn tracking on and off. But then we live near where the Milly Dowler murder occurred and our DC will be going to and from school and out alone from age 11.

I understand people may disagree, but I think parents checking in on a 12yo's location is entirely different from a controlling man demanding to know where his adult partner is at all times.

No don't and never had. Oddly enough DD turned it on for me to track her when she went on her DoF but that was her choice and she was 17 by then.

DS does technically have a tracker on him most of the time now, but only because DH put phobs on all the keys after I lost a set. I have also considered putting one in his PE bag after he manged to lose a whole kit at school. But the idea for both is to track lost items not people.

My adult DD and I have each other on find my iPhone. It’s not used to track each other but for when one of us misplaces our phones (that are always on silent so cannot hear it ring). FMIP can make the phone sound an alert so it can be found. Same with apple watches and ear pods.

If you've got trackers on all your keys, you are all being tracked.

I would hate to be tracked. Or even worse, in your case hearing from someone who is tracking her family constantly! 😀

How do you think we kept safe in the early 1990's?

Well technically yes. But I oddly enough don't always have my keys on me.
Say we all go out, I'll leave mine at home. Also DS only takes his to school, no where else.

My phone would be much more reliable at tracking me.

me and DH have the ability but I don’t see when I’d really bother apart from when he picking me up. I think it’d be boring to sit and watch him on a map. I once texted DH ‘not sure where I am?’ as I hadn’t been paying attention on the train, he replied ‘you are just outside Falkirk’ lol

Technically or otherwise, you are all being tracked if you have keys with you. If you're all out together, who would be tracking you anyway? Just think you should be aware and make sure that 24/7 tracking is an intentional choice you have made. It shouldn't be something that you stumble into in my opinion.

No never done it.

DDs at uni now and I do sometimes wish I could check where she is 🙈

Yes I track my teen daughter, she’s of an age now where going out at about a lot more, house parties etc. If I know she’s at a friends house I don’t but if she’s out in a city etc I will sometimes check. I don’t find it weird at all. She can also track me so if she comes home and I’m not in she can see where I am ie at the shop

Same. DS plays outside with the local kids. All ages. It’s part of growing up. But when he’s older? Tech will be a big part of their lives…