Prevalence and Correlates of Digital Location Tracking Among Parents of Teenagers in the United States

Importance: Parent tracking of a teenager’s location using an electronic device like a smartphone (“digital location tracking” [DLT]) is a new technology that may impact family functioning and teen adjustment. However, there is minimal data on parent DLT use to inform clinicians and scientists. Objective: Determine the prevalence and correlates of parent DLT use in a nationwide, longitudinal sample of teenagers in the U.S. Design: Cohort study. Data were drawn from the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. This study uses data from assessments conducted in July 2023 - February 2024. Observations were weighted to be representative of the U.S. Census with respect to teen sex and race/ethnicity; family income, structure, and employment; Census region; and household size. Setting: 21 sites across the U.S. Participants: 2,736 families with teenagers 14-17 years old (50% female; 72% white, 19% Black, and 5% Asian). Exposures: Frequency of parent use of DLT for their teenagers, rated on a 6-point Likert scale from “never” to “several times per day”. Main Outcomes and Measures: Measures of sociodemographics, family functioning, and teen adjustment. Results: 76% of parents of teens in the U.S. had DLT activated and 34% checked it daily. Sociodemographic and family functioning variables generally showed an upside-down V shaped association with the frequency of DLT use. Lower marital rates, education, income, and parental warmth and higher conflict were seen among both those who rarely/never used DLT and those who checked it daily or more, with the most favorable profile seen among those who checked DLT about weekly. Checking DLT several times per day was also correlated with markedly higher teen externalizing problems. Overt (vs. covert) use of the DLT app was associated with higher SES and better family functioning. Conclusions and Relevance: It is now the norm in the U.S. for parents to track their teenager’s location using an app, and there appear to be complex associations between use of this technology and other outcomes of interest. More data is needed to evaluate the potential impacts of DLT on teen and family functioning.