Location tracking is generally seen as a great societal ill, with many seeing it as an invasion of privacy. However, the most tech savvy generation of all, Gen Z, is actually quite favorable of the practice, with tens of millions using location tracking and sharing apps. These include Apple’s proprietary Find My feature, as well as apps like Life360.
This comes from a recent survey conducted on 1,200 US adults, and it reveals that a surprising shift might be occurring as far as location tracking is concerned.
All in all, 94% of Gen Z said that there are many advantages to sharing their location with others, even their parents. 87% stated that it can come in handy during long distance drives, with 80% specifying that it helps them feel safer when they are visiting risky or new places.
Location sharing has also become a central feature in the average Gen Z’s personal life. 78% said that they use it when they are going on a first date or to a party at a stranger’s house, with 77% using it while attending concerts, festivals and other large scale events. Perhaps the biggest proponents of location sharing turned out to be Gen Z women, with 72% saying that it gives them an improved sense of physical wellbeing.
One thing that must be said is that most Gen Z share their location with their friends, but 56% said that they feel comfortable letting their parents track their whereabouts as well. This further solidifies the shifting landscape of smartphone usage and perceptions of data tracking in general.
Dr. Michele Borba, a noted psychologist, suggested that teenagers are experiencing more anxiety in the aftermath of the pandemic. Social media and the nonstop flow of news coverage had already sparked a decline in mental health, and it appears that Gen Z crave even more interconnectedness for security. The value of location sharing might be that it allows them to control who’s able to see them, instead of being at the mercy of social media platforms that might not always have their best interests at heart.
Read next: Trust Deficit in American Media: An Alarming Trend
This comes from a recent survey conducted on 1,200 US adults, and it reveals that a surprising shift might be occurring as far as location tracking is concerned.
All in all, 94% of Gen Z said that there are many advantages to sharing their location with others, even their parents. 87% stated that it can come in handy during long distance drives, with 80% specifying that it helps them feel safer when they are visiting risky or new places.
Location sharing has also become a central feature in the average Gen Z’s personal life. 78% said that they use it when they are going on a first date or to a party at a stranger’s house, with 77% using it while attending concerts, festivals and other large scale events. Perhaps the biggest proponents of location sharing turned out to be Gen Z women, with 72% saying that it gives them an improved sense of physical wellbeing.
One thing that must be said is that most Gen Z share their location with their friends, but 56% said that they feel comfortable letting their parents track their whereabouts as well. This further solidifies the shifting landscape of smartphone usage and perceptions of data tracking in general.
Dr. Michele Borba, a noted psychologist, suggested that teenagers are experiencing more anxiety in the aftermath of the pandemic. Social media and the nonstop flow of news coverage had already sparked a decline in mental health, and it appears that Gen Z crave even more interconnectedness for security. The value of location sharing might be that it allows them to control who’s able to see them, instead of being at the mercy of social media platforms that might not always have their best interests at heart.
Read next: Trust Deficit in American Media: An Alarming Trend
