I can only imagine the argument that would have ensued if my parents tried to track me. I definitely would have 'accidentally lost' the device very quickly - and I wasn't especially rebellious for the time. If lots of teens truly want this tracking because they are worried about "what could happen" when they are out without adult supervision I think that hints at a huge societal problem.
I am on the edge of Gen Z (26 years old now). I didn't have this in high school, but know people who did and would have been fine with it.
Our parents are more comfortable with us drinking and having sex than prior generations of parents.
And we drink less, take fewer drugs, and have less sex as a generation, so there is less for parents to object to in the first place. Anecdotally, I didn't hang out in unknown places or late at night. Many didn't see the need to learn to drive, simply because we were fine with our parents driving us everywhere.
I would have been fine with this simply because as I did none of those things at all and my parents are not overbearing, so I would have nothing to lose from being tracked.
All of my adult children still share their location with me. Why? They know I only give a shit about where they are when they're supposed to be somewhere and they're not there. Where are they?
When they're traveling, one lives several hours away from home, I check in from time to time to see where they are and ensure they're still making progress. Doesn't require them to interact with a phone while they're driving.
And yes, this works in reverse too: they also have my location data. My youngest is 21 and still has the occasion to use my taxi services. They check my location to ensure I've left. If I haven't left yet then they send a text reminding me to come get them.
I can see how it can be useful but I also don’t have that urge to need constant updates. If someone has told me they’re on their way and will be x mins that’s all I need to know. It feels like the equivalent of constantly refreshing Twitter.
