Most members of Gen Z are concerned enough about their safety that they’re willing to sacrifice their privacy, according to a survey from the location tracking app Life360. The findings show 74% of the generation says the perceived “physical safety and convenience” from location sharing is worth the trade-off.
Studies show that Gen Z, encompassing individuals between the ages of 11 and 26, is a generation marked by heightened anxiety and stress. They have come of age amid a global pandemic, a surge in school shootings, increased social media usage and more.
Life360 reports a doubling of domestic downloads in the last two years. The app has more than 33 million monthly active users in the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to the Life360 survey, 94% of Gen Z individuals said their lives benefit from location sharing.
The phenomenon of location sharing, however, isn’t exclusive to young people. Parents also use these apps to gain peace of mind by knowing the whereabouts of their children. In addition to Life360, there are other popular location sharing apps, such as Apple’s Find My and Google’s Family Link.
Location sharing goes beyond ensuring safety; it has also become a means of expressing affection among friends. Nevertheless, location sharing carries interpersonal complexities, depending on the nature of the relationship.
Concerns regarding data privacy and Life360 have emerged in the past. In 2022, The Markup reported that Life360 was selling users’ location data to as many as a dozen data brokers. The company later announced it would be scaling back these practices and establishing partnerships with two firms. One firm now receives specific data on users’ driving behavior, while the other acquires aggregated data analytics.