On the topic of teen privacy, “helicopter parenting” is following teens to college. While most Millennials tell us they intend not to be helicopter parents, location monitoring is totally commonplace among parents who want regular updates on their children’s whereabouts. And while many parents typically ease up on oversight after their teens graduate high school, some aren’t giving up tracking apps like Find My Friends and Life360 after that—they want to keep up if their child is living on campus in college. Parents may claim this is for their child’s mental well-being, but some experts (and college students) say constant surveillance and check-ins like phone calls can infringe on a child’s privacy and even impair gaining independence. The discomfort often arises not from any actual risky behavior being done (though kids are certainly finding ways to keep it secret when it is), but from the awareness of being constantly monitored and tracked. (Slate Magazine)
📊 YPulse data: 67% of Gen Z and Millennial parents track their child’s location
