Graduating grade school and going to college is a big step in a lot of young adult lives. Although scary and daunting, finally getting real independence is overwhelmingly exciting. Making your own decisions is very freeing, but will that independence be changing with the new technology of complex cellphone tracking?
Because of its many different types of features, Life360 has become one of the most popular cellphone tracking apps. According to the Life360 website, the app includes private groups so only family can see you, and place notifications notify the group when a member leaves or arrives at certain locations such as home or school. Other additions include monitoring driving habits which let the group know if you are using your phone, speeding, or slamming your brakes in real-time.
“My mom still tracks me and my sister at college with Life360,” said Kasey Shawver, a current Salisbury student, “but she has become a lot more lenient since we graduated.”
High school students might consider their parents tracking them a bummer, but it can be helpful for college students who might not remember or have the time to tell their parents everything.
“Basically, my mom uses it to check on us whenever she wants without having to call us, it calms her nerves since we’re both hours away,” said Shawver. “Our parents also use it to track my sister when she’s on the train from Philly to Baltimore.”
“She doesn’t try to control where we go anymore, she just likes to know where we are,” said Shawver. “Being tracked doesn’t necessarily affect what I do other than knowing I’ll probably get a text asking where I am, or what I’m doing if I’m out late.”
Freedom is important to teens transitioning into adulthood, but in a world of rising crime, apps like Life360 can make that transition much safer. These tracking apps make it quick and easy to check the safety of your family, giving peace of mind to parents across the country.
