Would You Track Your Teen with Tech?

It’s 9 p.m. on Saturday night. Do you know where your 15-year-old daughter is? Gone are the days of reading your teen’s diary to find out what she’s getting into. Now there’s an app for that—many apps for that in fact. From infant trackers to auto GPS and computer activity monitoring, you can quite literally track your children from birth. But should you? Consider some of the pros and cons and decide for yourself.

Know Where Your Kids Are

From soccer practice to math tutoring, then to her lab partner’s home to finish their chemistry report—a teen’s schedule can be a lot to keep track of. When you have more than one child, it’s that much more of a challenge to keep all of the balls in the air. Apps like PocketFinder (free for iOS and Android with the $149.95 device, plus $12.95 for monthly service) and GPS Location Tracker ($3.99 for iOS and Android) can help you keep track of your kids without them having to remember to call and let you know if their plans change.

Protect Your Kids

Sure, it’s a big bad world out there, and we all want to protect our kids from pedophiles, sexual predators, cyber bullies and anyone else threatening their happiness—that’s a given. But while the latest research by the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, shows that children’s exposure to violence is on the decline, cyberbullying is still a very concerning issue. While 43 percent of kids have admitted to being bullied online, only one in ten kids will tell a parent about it, according to non-profit DoSomething. By using an app like UKnowKids ($9.95 per month), you can monitor your child’s social media activity, in addition to location and cell phone content, to keep a watchful eye for cyberbullying.

User Error

New technology tracking devices and apps are a good solution to keeping a watchful eye on your child only if you can fully understand the functionality to use them properly. For some parents, just knowing that they have these tracking apps activated can give a false sense of security. But just as with your fitness and health trackers, like the FitBit, these apps are only as useful as we make them. Getting a few apps doesn’t give you an excuse to run off to Napa with friends for the weekend just because you can check on you teens remotely. You still need to keep a watchful eye and be aware of what you’re kids are up to.

Consider Compatibility

If you decide to use a service or app like Life360 (free for iOS and Android) to keep track of your kids’ whereabouts, be sure to thoroughly research the options and choose an app that is optimized to work on your OS and devices of choice. The majority of the most-popular options are available for both iOS and Android so you can use them seamlessly even if your daughter has an Android tablet and you and your husband have iPhones.

What is your feeling about keeping track of your teens’ whereabouts?