Are Location Sharing Apps Dangerous? - BTN High

Key Takeaways

• Location-sharing apps, while marketed for safety and convenience, are increasingly being used as tools for coercive control within romantic and intimate relationships among young people.
• A significant portion of young adults now view constant digital tracking as a normal or even expected component of modern relationships, blurring the lines between care and surveillance.
• The normalization of tech-based monitoring often extends beyond location sharing to include expectations of sharing personal passwords and constant digital check-ins to verify a partner's activities.
• Childhood experiences with parental tracking may contribute to the expectation that partners should have constant access to each other's locations, perpetuating cycles of surveillance in adulthood.
• Coercive control can manifest through seemingly benign gestures, such as ordering food delivery to a partner's location, which functions as a covert method to verify their whereabouts.
• Advanced technology, including smart home devices and connected vehicles, is being weaponized by abusers to monitor, harass, and exert control over victims in increasingly sophisticated ways.
• Experts emphasize the importance of establishing clear digital boundaries and trusting one's intuition if location sharing creates feelings of discomfort, insecurity, or constant surveillance.