Why younger people share their location with everyone

Your grandson mentions that his friend Ava is “almost here.” You ask how he knows. He shows you his phone: a map with little circles for six of his friends, moving around town in real time.

To you, that might sound like something from a spy movie. To him, it’s as normal as a phone book.

The short answer

A lot of young people share their live location with close friends, partners, and family all the time. They use apps like Apple’s Find My, Snapchat’s Snap Map, Google Maps, or Life360. Friends can open a map and see where each other are, right now.

Why they do it

Safety. This is the big one, especially for young women. If you’re walking home at night or meeting a stranger from a dating app, a friend can watch your dot until you’re home.

It saves texts. Instead of “Where are you?” “Almost there” “How far?” everyone just looks at the map.

It’s how friendship shows. Sharing location is a sign of trust. Being added to someone’s list says you’re one of my people. Being removed can feel like a breakup.

They grew up with it. Many teens got their first phone with a parent tracker already on it. Location-sharing doesn’t feel like surveillance to them. It feels like normal.

It’s social. Snap Map shows where friends are hanging out. Seeing that everyone is at the same diner is a nudge to go.

Is it safe?

Shared with a small group of real friends and family, mostly yes, and many people feel safer for it. The risks come when:

• a partner uses it to check up on or control someone
• it’s shared with people they barely know (Snapchat used to make this too easy; it now defaults to sharing only with friends you pick, or no one)
• they post from home and their location is visible to strangers

A good question to ask a grandkid isn’t “Isn’t that dangerous?” It’s “Who’s on your list?” Most can rattle it off.

The family version

Lots of families share locations now, too. Adult kids share with aging parents so they know Dad got home from the doctor. Grandparents share with grandkids heading to college. It can be lovely.

The etiquette young people follow:

• Ask, don’t demand. “Would you be up for sharing locations? Totally fine if not.”
• Don’t comment on everything you see. “Why were you at a bar at 1 a.m.?” is the fastest way to get turned off. Look only when you need to.
• Share back. It feels fairer when it goes both ways.

How to share yours on an iPhone

1. Open the Find My app.
2. Tap People at the bottom.
3. Tap the + and choose Share My Location.
4. Pick the person and choose Share Indefinitely, or a shorter time.

They’ll get a notice and can share back.

Want to ask a grandkid without it sounding like you’re checking up on them? The Response Generator can help you word it. For another habit that confuses grandparents, see why younger people prefer FaceTime.