More parents are using apps and trackers to monitor kids and young adults

In short: Parents are increasingly comfortable using apps and devices to track their children’s location and health data, and many keep doing it even after kids turn 18.

What's going on

Tracking tools for families are becoming more common, and the market for parenting apps is growing. A market estimate puts the global parenting apps market at $2.8 billion in 2025, with projections reaching $5.4 billion by 2034. The same report says over 72% of new parents in developed economies use at least one parenting or baby-tracking app within the first six months.

Location tracking is a big part of this. In a 2026 C.S. Mott poll, 52% of parents said they track the location of their 18 to 25 year old child, mainly for peace of mind or emergencies. Among parents who track, 96% said their child knows, but only 54% said the child was given the option to say no.

Wearables for kids often focus on safety features first. Studies find the most common features are GPS location and geofencing (a virtual boundary, like drawing a fence on a map that sends an alert if a child leaves it). Health tracking shows up too, but it is usually secondary. Reviews of health and wellbeing apps also find that parents often handle the setup and use the apps to log growth and development data.

What to watch

Researchers and regulators are raising concerns about “continuous monitoring,” meaning kids may grow up expecting to be watched all the time. These tools can also create long-lasting data trails about a child’s daily life. At the same time, more pediatric telehealth and remote monitoring are making data collection in health care feel routine, which could make family tracking tools even more normal.

Source: NYTimes