By Kayla DeKraker
Many of today’s teens share their location with their friends, which has some pros and major cons.
Location sharing app Life 360 revealed that 94% of Gen Z teens surveyed admit they let people know where they’re at. HuffPost reported that Gen Z is 70% more likely to location share with friends than any other generation.
Many teens also share their location with their parents for safety reasons.
“According to the report, ‘safe’ is the number one term that comes to mind for 66% of Gen Z respondents when thinking about location sharing,” Life 360 said. “Eighty-seven percent of Gen Z respondents said they use the technology for long-distance driving, 80% when visiting new or dangerous places, 77% when going to an event, concert, or festival, and 78% when they are going to party or on a date.”
Sounds like location sharing is only a positive thing, right? Well, not so fast. Many teens experience social and emotional issues from knowing where their friends are at all times.
“There’s comfort in knowing where your people are, especially in a world where teens constantly feel like they could get left out, replaced or excluded,” anxiety, trauma and attachment therapist Cheryl Groskopf said. “But that comfort is fragile — it relies on constant access (which leaves their nervous system hypervigilant to feeling ‘left out’).”
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She noted that “It becomes a setup for overthinking, panic and social surveillance. Teens shouldn’t use location sharing when it’s being used to avoid rejection, manage someone else’s anxiety, or prove loyalty.”
Adolescent psychologist Dr. Cameron Caswell added, “Location sharing can intensify FOMO (fear of missing out) and social exclusion. Seeing a group of friends hanging out without them — even unintentionally — can make them feel lonelier and more left out.”
Another issue arises when the person a teen shares their location with becomes unsafe. One mom said that her daughter’s ex-boyfriend kept showing up because he knew where she was.
Though families often use apps like Life 360, more worrisome location sharing occurs on Snapchat’s Snap Maps.
“It’s important to remember that your location is visible to anyone you’ve added on Snapchat,” Florida State University says. “Even if you trust your friends, there’s always the chance that your location could be shared with someone you don’t know or that your account could be compromised. Plus, Snap Maps updates in real-time, meaning anyone watching could easily determine when you’re home or away.”
Just like everything else online, it is important to be constantly mindful of what information we and our children share and with whom. Parents should monitor their teens online activities and have an open dialogue about online safety habits.
Read Next: Here’s One Simple Way to Improve Your Online Safety and Privacy
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