Joanna Gaines Admits To Using A Tracking App To "Stalk" Her Four Teens
She even tracks their speed while driving.
Do you track your teenagers? While it’s pretty common for parents to track the whereabouts of their younger kids (late elementary/middle school) who might be too young for a cellphone, but still need a bit of independence, does the same go for teens, especially those old enough to drive?
Fixer Upper alum and designer Joanna Gaines admitted that she tracks all four of her teenagers because her worries have only increased since her kids started driving.
“All four of my older kids are driving now,” Gaines, 46, told People, speaking of kids Drake, 19, Ella, 18, Duke, 16, and Emmie, 15 whom she shares with her husband Chip.
She uses a popular tracking app to keep tabs on the kids.
"I stalk them on the app Life360!" she says with a laugh. "It tells you how fast they're going."
It’s true! The Life360 app uses GPS to track driving speed. According to Life360, the app monitors and reports speed to give users real-time insights into their Circle member's driving habits. This can help promote safe driving practices, discourage speeding, and even provide important context in the event of an accident.
Life360 also can provide driving reports, such as speeding, hard braking, and phone usage behind the wheel. It also offers crash detection.
Gaines is definitely not alone in using an app to know her kids’ whereabouts.
Research from the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) shows nearly 50% of parents use an app to track their kids' driving.1 Another survey found that 80% of parents also use apps to track their child's location. And 91% of Gen Alpha parents actively use location-sharing features, a Life360 survey revealed.
The USAA report also found that 87% of parents said their teen's driving improved since they started using the app.
“Young drivers were more observant of speed limits, less distracted by their cell phones, and had better awareness of other drivers,” the report stated.
Maybe, in some way, parents’ desire to track their kids is that last gasp at closeness before teens head off to their next life chapter. That seems to be partly the case for Gaines.
"I was so sad when Duke went to college,” Gaines admitted.
"But they’re just turning into these wonderful human beings. My favorite thing is seeing them hanging out in a restaurant together as friends. Because when they were younger I was always monitoring their fights, and now they’re dear friends, which is so cool."
