Should Life Be 360?

Elliana, 16, and Paul, 14, along with their parents, live in a close-knit New Jersey suburb. Elliana is very responsible and a good student, and her parents consider her a “role model” for her younger brother. Paul, unlike his sister, gets into trouble in school and doesn't always listen to his parents.

In the past, Elliana’s and Paul's mother, Amy, had never used precautions on their phones regarding their locations. Recently, though, there’s been an uptick in crime in and around their town. Like most parents these days, Amy is becoming increasingly concerned about her children’s safety and well-being. 

Amy learns about a tracking service called Life360 at a Parents Association meeting, an app that enables users to monitor location, and it seems that most parents use it. Now that Elliana has gotten her permit and will be driving, Amy thinks Life360 may be helpful for her in her role as a “good” parent. After all, Life360 not only monitors location, but also alerts high driving speeds and has an SOS feature.

Amy decides to download Life360 onto Elliana’s phone while her daughter is asleep. When Elliana wakes up, she immediately notices the new app, which had been downloaded without her knowledge or consent. During breakfast with her family, she brings up the new app. Amy explains Life360 to her daughter and that the app ensures that she’s safe. After school, Elliana asks Paul how he feels about being tracked all day, and he says it hasn’t been downloaded on his phone. 

Elliana doesn’t know how to feel about the new app because she had always thought she was trusted by her parents, and now it seems this is no longer the case. She also feels frustrated that Paul is not in the same situation.

Though Amy and Elliana have always had a strong relationship, since Life360 was added to Elliana’s phone, there have been frequent arguments. Amy fears that their relationship has been damaged, which will leave lasting consequences once Elliana goes to college. Amy feels that as a mother, her moral responsibility is to prioritize her daughter's safety, but is questioning if she is overstepping her daughter’s boundaries and privacy. 

Question
What is Amy's most ethical choice in this scenario? 

We’re eager to hear your thoughts! Email us your response to this ethical question at ethics@kentplace.org. We will feature student positions in the next issue of the Ethics Everywhere newsletter. 

Adeline Brugg ’28, Chelsea Chen ’28, Harli Glatt ’28, Chloe Jenkins ’28, Krisana Manglani ’28, and Paige Sulkes ’28