Cell Phone GPS Tracking Targets Teens

If you've ever worried where your teenager is there's a relatively new way to find out.

And all you need is a cell phone.

Fox 17's Erika Kurre was surprised to find out that parents were not aware GPS tracking is available for a small fee.


While many parents buy the cell phone service for safety reasons whether or not they should use it is creating a debate between them and their kids.

17 year old Adrian Barron just got a brand new cell phone.

Like a growing number of phones, this one has a g-p-s tracking system, which shows his mother and sister everywhere he goes.


I can't do some stuff, ya know. I can't tell them i'm going over there and then go somewhere else .They find me."

Adrian's sister Nereyda says their family purchased the service for safety reasons.

"I can see you!"

The plan they have allows them to see each other's whereabouts in real time, with tenths of a mile accuracy anywhere in the world.

Erika "for most plans...All you have to do is log online, and type in your password... The program takes you right to your family member's locations...Where you can track their moves down to street level."

Some parents can also get alerts sent right to their cell phones, letting them know if certain family members reached their programmed destinations on time.

Nereyda Deleon says, "he has to know that at any moment we can track him down--or i can track him down and say, 'you now what, i'm sorry but your privileges are taken away because you're not where you're supposed to be."

For some teenagers -- and parents -- this has become a topic of debate, raising concerns about trust and boundaries.

Teenager Rachel Reeves says, "I don't really want my mom knowing where i'm at all the time."
Teenager taylor beasley says, "it wouldn't really matter to me because I go wherever I say I go. But I wouldn't like it if they had it in my phone."

Taylor's mother, Amy Beasley says, "i think that it's overstepping the boundaries of her space and her privacy and it's important that she knows we trust her."

On the other hand is the argument of parental responsibility.

Parent Sarah Spicer says, "my children really don't have that kind of privacy. If they're doing something they're not supposed to be doing, i need to know about it."
parent Karen Williams says, "until a child is 18 years old, i want to know exactly where they are and as a parent, i have a right to know where they are."

Psychologist Dr. Kathryn sherrod sees no problem with the tracking technology, concerning privacy or boundary issues for children under 18.
Instead, she says, giving children a false sense of independence should be a more common concern.

Dr. Kathryn Sherrod says, "i think sometimes we just loose sight of sense and reality in trying so hard to be respectful of children's developing maturity that we forget the fact that they're not mature."

The tracking technology costs as little as ten dollars per month on most cellular family plans.
And for Nereyda, it's a small price to pay to keep tabs on her younger brother...With out having to wonder, "what if."

Nereyda says, "I could have paid ten dollars and i would have known where my little brother is at and now i just can't find him-- i just don't know where he's at. I mean, you can't put a price on safety."


There is a common misconception that wireless companies will track a person's phone even if they're not registered on this plan.
We're told that's not true.
They're not allowed to track people not registered on this plan without a search warrant and legal permission versus your ability to immediately take action.