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As freshmen head to campus this fall, they will take a big step toward independence from their parents. Or will they do it?
Many parents find it difficult to let go, especially these days. And with apps that can follow their children’s every move, they don’t have to let go. Parents can maintain a digital tether that shows if their kids are partying in a fraternity house or studying in the library, how fast they drive, and even if their phone’s battery is low.
The decision to follow middle school students or not, via apps like Life360 or the location sharing settings of a smartphone, is polarizing. There’s the camp that believes tracking kids keeps them safe, allowing parents to send help when their kids have been in car crashes or guide them when they get lost. And then there’s the camp that says it gives parents a false sense of security while stifling children’s development.
Lupe Ruiz-Catala, a mother of two in Bergenfield, NJ, started using Life360 to keep tabs on her daughter, Victoria Catala, when she went to college. Victoria went to Greece for her first semester of freshman year as part of a study abroad program, and her mother panicked. “I had a stomach ache,” recalls Ms. Ruiz-Catala. “How could I keep her safe other than moving to Greece with her?” “
Ms Ruiz-Catala reviewed a number of apps but opted for the category leader Life360 with over 32 million monthly active users because it could show her daughter’s location on a map, track how fast she was going in a car and report when her phone’s battery is low, which it often was.
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