Date of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Psychology

Director of Thesis

Molly Dawes

Second Reader

Rebecca Smith-Hill

Abstract

In the 21st century, many parents rely on digital location tracking applications (e.g., Life360, Find My Friends) to track the whereabouts of their teens and young adults, exerting a new form of parental control in the digital age. Though a popular parenting strategy, it is unclear how utilizing these tools might be affecting adolescent and emerging adulthood development. To better understand these outcomes, the present thesis conducted a scoping review of articles via the PsycINFO database. After screening studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of five studies were included in the scoping review. The included studies were thematically analyzed with results describing (a) behavioral outcomes, (b) psychological outcomes, and (c) relational outcomes for adolescents and emerging adults whose parents engage in digital location tracking. Within the behavioral domain, results indicated that parental use of digital location tracking is significantly associated with increased substance use, greater externalizing behavior, and delinquency. Within the psychological domain, parental use of digital location tracking was found to be associated with lower perceptions of autonomy support and lower self-esteem. Within the relational domain, results indicated that parental use of digital location tracking was significantly associated with greater parental involvement, greater parental connectedness, greater perceived helicopter parenting, greater parent-child conflict, and greater parental hostility. Further analysis for moderating or buffering effects revealed that the quality of the parent-child relationship or positive parenting behaviors may alter these associations, with greater positive parenting weakening associations with various negative outcomes. These findings pose large-scale implications for adolescent and emerging adulthood development in the digital age. Given associations with poor behavioral outcomes and negative parent-child interactions, the use of digital location tracking tools may hinder youth’s attainment of important developmental tasks, including autonomy and independence from parents. Further research is needed to clarify best practices for the use of these tools, keeping healthy adolescent development at the forefront of best practices.

First Page

1

Last Page

27

Rights

© 2026, Madison G. Cox

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