Bring back the old days before Finding Friends, Life 360, or any other tracking app. Bring back a time where parents trusted their kids and relationships flourished between them. The good old days where your personal data was secure and not leaking with every download. 

Evolution of technology gave way to the ability for parents to track their kids with some ways more precise and intricate than others such as showing location history by the hour or the last known location. Tracking or location abilities not only are harmful to the users but their relationships in life too. When trust is absent from a relationship, especially one between a child and parent, it makes way for rebellion taking a child down many bumpy roads. When agreeing with the majority of parents and guardians that tracking your kids is for their greater good, remember it’s all in the way it’s handled. After all, strict parents lead to sneaky kids.

There's a major concern over the technology itself and the apps invading people's privacy. Joel Reynolds, author of “Why parents should think twice about tracking apps for their kids,” describes the deceitful side to tracking apps. What many parents, and even kids, are not aware of is when you download these apps with all their information, they return the favor and it isn't one you would appreciate. Reynolds states, “They are designed to make money by gathering loads of information to be sold to other companies.” 

These apps reap the benefit of every download, they do not care who you are as long as your information is paying off. There is personal data falling into the wrong hands. Saved data of children's whereabouts is a gold mine for some people. When a parent decides to invade their child's privacy, there is a stranger who is on the same wavelength with plenty of ability to access one's son or daughter's information. 

Parents love to say, “It is for my child's safety,” and while that may be true and give them peace of mind to know where or when they were somewhere, they wouldn't find the same peace of mind if they understood the negative long-lasting effects. The minute you begin tracking your child is the minute the train of trust veers off track. As a child grows older, the need for privacy grows too. It comes down to a matter of compromise between the two but that's where many parents fall short. Tracking abilities make some parents lose sight of why these apps were made, leading them to push boundaries. Aigerim Berzinya, from TODAY Parenting Team touches upon the negative long lasting effects stating, “parent’s excessive need to care and nurture can have a reverse effect, chasing their teenager away instead of keeping them close.” When boundaries are pushed and trust is broken, a child can lose their sense of independence and individuality. Situations like tracking your child without them being aware provides a great example of an invasion of privacy. 

 “Make sure your location stays on.” 6 words from experience have caused a disconnect to the years of new changes and new opportunities. GPS tracking is a technological development that has many pros but just as many cons. It all comes down to parents and their responsibility to have mutual respect as well as understand the mutual benefit if handled correctly. I say let go of tracking and open your relationship to trust and communicate with your child, teach them responsibility and teach them consequence. People preach living and learning, so let us live or we may never learn. Adolescent years have a major impact on a child's development as well as future, parents should want the best for the now and the future of their child. 

Works Cited

Berzinya, Aigerim. “How Can GPS Tracking Affect the Trust Between a Parent and Child?” TODAY Parenting Team, 22 March 2018, community.today.com/parentingteam/post/how-can-gps-tracking-affect-the-trust-between-a-parent-and-child. Accessed 2 May 2022.

Reynolds, Michael, and UMass Lowell. “Why parents should think twice about tracking apps for their kids.” The Conversation, 16 May 2019, theconversation.com/why-parents-should-think-twice-about-tracking-apps-for-their-kids-114350. Accessed 2 May 2022.