Teens disregard a helpful, safe app because it “prohibits freedom”

Shelby Watkins, Feature Editor

Life360 has many teenagers infuriated over the control their parents have when the app is in use; however, its primary function, besides making sure your children are where they say they are, is safety.

Life360 is a free app that gives families the ability to share their locations with one another. It has become an easy way for parents and teens to know where the other is at any given time.

Also, Life360 gives detailed driving analyses to the other people on the account. This can include the driver’s speed, the route they took and if they did anything dangerous on their drive.

Many teenagers are outraged that their parents are able to track their movements, but this anger is misplaced. Teens should be honest with their parents about their whereabouts in order to stay safe. 

If parents do not know where their teens are, or at least the general driving path from place A to place B, their child could get into a dangerous situation. Teenagers like the freedom of driving, but it often forces parents to put a lot of trust in their teens and the people they are around.

Many teenagers claim their parents use Life360 because they do not trust their children to be in the right space. If this is true, it is the responsibility of the teen to make sure they are being honest with their parents about where they are. Most parents worry, and they only want to make sure their child is in safe, good situations.

If parents use Life360, they can always know where their child is. For example, if a child gets kidnapped and has Life360 on their phones, police will be able to find them quicker. 

Also, if a parent notices their child hasn’t moved from a spot in the road, they can quickly call to assure their child’s safety, and the same goes for children and their parents.

Law enforcement can use Life 360 to their benefit. As mentioned previously, Life360 can aid in finding a child who has been abducted. When I researched this, hundreds of news sources pointed to the fact that Life360 can find missing persons. 

Also, since Life360 tracks reckless driving, courts could possibly use it in the future to figure out the cause of many automobile accidents; however, according to expertlaw, GPS speed tracking is not available to be used in court cases just yet.

Alongside this, parents can make sure their children are driving in a way that keeps themselves and others safe on the road. If a child is speeding, driving recklessly or making dangerous decisions, a parent is likely to see it on the app.

All in all, Life360 is a good way for parents and children to keep tabs on their family and ensure their safety and honesty. Life360 is also a helpful tool for law enforcement when there are disputes of reckless driving or an abduction. Life360 should be used to keep families safe and in touch.