Tracking Apps for kid's devices - The Cyber Safety Tech Mum

Tracking Apps

The debate rages on about whether you should or shouldn’t track your child’s location via their phone.

Some parents feel like it is spying and that they wish to instill trust in their child whilst others prefer the piece of mind of being able to pinpoint their child’s location at any time of the day.

Which view is right?

I don’t know. All I know is that as parents, we all make what we think is the right decision for our child at that time.

What are some of the reasons you might consider tracking your child's location using their device?

You may need to know that your child as arrived at school safely after walking or taking public transport.
You won’t be home from work after school so it’s good to know that your child has arrived home.
Your child has sports or hobbies at school or on the weekend.
Your tween/teen has a hectic social life and you feel much lighter when you can actually see where they are.
Knowing your child’s location could potentially alert you to them meeting an online predator.
If you have a teen that drives, some apps will allow you to track the speed they are driving at.

What are some of the reasons you shouldn't keep track of your child's locations?

Some companies have profit in mind and NOT our child’s safety. They are more interested in collecting our child’s data to sell to 3rd Party’s.
Your child’s data is at risk of being leaked. The privacy factor is some apps is not very high.
Potential Trust issues with your child.

How can you track your child's location via their device?

Apple Family Sharing – Location Sharing. The family ‘organiser’ will setup location sharing in the Family Sharing settings. You will then automatically see the organiser’s location and then family members can choose to share their location. You can lock Location services (under the Privacy Settings) so that you child cannot toggle it on and off when it suits them!

To turn on Location Sharing in Family Sharing, do the following:

1. Settings > [your name] >

2. Tap Family Sharing > Location Sharing.

Microsoft Family Safety App – Use your child’s device to view their lcoation on a map. You can setup frequently visited places, like home, school, sports etc so that you can see their location at a glance. This feature is only available if you have a Microsoft 365 Subscription. It works for iOS & Android however, you may experience some limited features due to the mix of device types and operating systems.

Family Link App – Family Link (by Google) allows you to turn on Location for your child’s device from within the settings. This feature is turned off by default so you will to toggle it on if you wish to use. Location will only work if your child’s device is turned on and signed in (with their child account). It will not work if the battery in the device is falt. Family Link works best only on Androids.

Life360 – This is a very popular location sharing app that many families are using these days. They can see where family members are on a private map, receive alerts when family members arrive or leave school and work. It has a private chat where you can share photos and text messages. You can view location history, receive information about driving safety and track phones. Life360 can be downloaded onto both Apples and Androids. You can also pay a subscription for more features.