When first-year college students head to campus this fall, they will make a big leap toward their parents ’independence. Or will they?
Many parents find it difficult to let go, especially in recent times. And with apps that can track all of your kids ’movements, they should no longer be let go. Parents can maintain a digital connection that indicates if their children are partying in a fraternity home or studying in the library, the speed at which they drive, and even if the phone battery is depleted.
The decision to keep track of college kids, using apps like Life360 or the location-sharing settings of a smartphone, is polarizing. There is the camp that believes keeping track of children keeps them safe, allowing parents to send help when their children have had car accidents or guide them when they are lost. And there’s also the camp that says it offers parents a false sense of security while stifling children’s development.
Lupe Ruiz-Catala, a mother of two in Bergenfield, New Jersey, began using Life360 to control her daughter, Victoria Catala, when she was in college. Victoria went to Greece for her first semester as part of a study abroad program, and her mother was scared. “I was sick to my stomach,” recalls Mrs. Ruiz-Catala. “How would you keep her safe apart from moving to Greece with her?”
Ms. Ruiz-Catala reviewed several applications, but decided on Life360, a leader in the category, with more than 32 million monthly active users, because she could show her daughter’s location on a map, track how fast he would go in the car and let him know when his phone’s battery was low, which he often did.