Growing up comes with a certain amount of responsibility. Some parents have chosen to take this responsibility away from their children. They have been using an app called “Find My iPhone” to track their kids, instead of trusting them.

“Find My iPhone” is an app that Apple released so its customers can track their phone if it is lost or stolen. While this is a great tool to use for that purpose, the flip side can be a huge inconvenience to kids who are constantly under watch.

Many parents allow their children to get an iPhone if they download the app, on the grounds that it will be used to locate the phone if it is lost. However, some parents use the app to make sure their children are in fact where they say they are.

“I love having an iPhone; it’s basically my life. But I hate when my parents use it to see where I am. I feel like they don’t trust me and don’t care about my privacy,” said junior Leena Eshack.

Using “Find my iPhone” is a growing trend for parents; they tell each other about it and tracking only gets more popular. Kids are outraged at this invasion of privacy, as well as its easy accessibility. All the parent has to do is simply open the app and within seconds they know the exact location of the phone (and the child).

There is an upside to the app though. If the phone is lost or stolen; as long as there is power and the phone is on, anyone with the password to the account can see where the phone is. They can also turn the phone off, lock it to prevent unauthorized use and make it ring to assist in finding it.

An anonymous junior has found benefits from this app. “I want to relax when I get home, but my parents want me to do homework when I get home. I use the app to see when they are getting home and then take my homework out so it looks like I was doing homework.”

There is a way to get around this: one can turn off location services for the app and it then becomes useless. Also, turning the phone off or turning off data will keep the app from locating the user’s position. Many students have been caught either sneaking out or going to a significant other’s house with this app. The problem is that if the phone is lost, there is no way of figuring out where it could possibly be.

Parents need to trust that their children will make smart choices and if they do not, at least give them the freedom to make their own mistakes.