One of my students was just telling me that their parents had been sneaky and installed an app on their phone without her knowledge. The app is called Life360 and it is designed to basically spy on her. Her parents will get reports based on anywhere she goes. It will relay to them top speeds, time for a given trip, sudden braking, and phone usage. Now, she was pretty unhappy that they had done this without telling her, but understood why. When she asked them about it, they told her they had done it, and that she would be in trouble if she disabled it. She understood their concerns about her driving, as she is about to get her first license. She also said this would let them know how her friends are driving, since they will know how long it took them, for example, to get to her dance class, which usually takes 15 minutes, and might take considerably less with some friends behind the wheel. So there might be some friends she will not be able to get rides from in the future, and she better watch her own driving when she is the one behind the wheel.
So, I started looking into this idea. There are a bunch of articles out there on different ways to spy on the kids. There are apps, devices to install in the car, and combo’s of both. USA Today wrote an article on technology and lists lots of options. Consumer Reports also wrote an article on how to track your teen driver. U.S. News & World Report did a piece on some of their favorite options. Feel free to peruse to see if any of these will be a good fit for your family. None of these articles though, really talked about whether this is a good choice.
Parent as you see fit. Use technology to do so if it makes sense for your family. I think we all need to do everything possible to keep our kids safe and sound, along with the rest of us out on the roads with these new drivers. Don’t feel bad for protecting your kids, and mine. I count on the fact that my kiddo knows that not only will I be watching out for their driving, but so will their friends parents, our amazing police, and everyone in this small town. Know who your kiddo is getting into a car with and how they drive. Make sure that if your kiddo is driving alone or with other kids in the car that they are making the safest choices possible. Set rules and stick to them. Have clear boundaries and consequences. Love your kids the best way you know how. Make choices you can feel good about. Good luck!