Is location sharing useful for girls’ safety

Unfortunately, we have to admit that girls and young women face safety issues more frequently during daily commutes, late-night commutes, and solo trIps. Families, especially those living in busy and complex cities or navigating long-distance travel, often look for ways to stay connected and respond quickly if something goes wrong. In such cases, location sharing can be one useful layer in a broader safety plan.

In this blog, we’d like to discuss scenarios where using location sharing is really helpful and its limitations to strike a balanced approach. There’re also practical tips for girls to stay safe daily.

Is location sharing useful for girls’ safety?

Location sharing indeed proves to be a useful feature in supporting girls’ safety in many situations. However, it’s not meant to prevent harm but just acts as a support tool that keeps family members updated about the person’s whereabouts so they can respond immediately in case of any emergency.

Nowadays, smartphones come with built-in location-sharing features, like Apple’s Find My, while on Android, you’ll find it in Google Family Link. Besides, location sharing can take several forms, such as in messaging apps, family safety apps, and ride-sharing safety features.

Such location-sharing services usually work by combining GPS, mobile networks, and an internet connection. For instance, when a person activates this service on their phone, the phone first identifies its location using GPS, then, with an available internet connection, it sends location updates to trusted contacts in real time.

When does location sharing help the most for girls?

The location-sharing feature is mostly for families who want to coordinate with their family members rather than constantly monitor them. In many regions, where unexpected traffic jams and public transport delays are common, families are often concerned about the rising risks.

For instance, the National Commission for Women (NCW) released the 2025 National Annual Report and Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) in the Economic Times. They surveyed 12,770 women across 31 cities in India, and India’s national safety score was 65 percent.

Though sharing live location cannot prevent risks, it at least provides families with reassurance about where their girls are, eliminating the need for calls and texts.

Here are some scenarios in which you must ask girls to keep their location-sharing services activated!

• Solo commuting and ride-hailing: Many young women regularly use taxis, auto-rickshaws, or ride-hailing services. Sharing location during a ride can help let someone know the journey has started and confirm arrival.
• Returning home after dark: Evening walking or commuting is a common concern for many families. Location sharing can help when a student has late classes, someone attends an event, or a young woman works evening shifts.
• Traveling alone: Whether traveling between cities, visiting a new place, or attending college events, temporary location sharing keeps your trusted contacts aware of where you are.
• Attending crowded places: At crowded places like festivals, shopping malls, railway stations or public events, location sharing allows family members to easily reconnect if they become separated.

What location sharing can not guarantee

Some limitations that you must be aware of:

• It is not always perfectly accurate: the location sharing feature works only when it’s enabled on the person’s device, and can sometimes be affected by weak signals, indoor environments, battery-saving settings, or technical issues.
• It cannot prevent harm: Knowing someone’s location does not stop unsafe situations from occurring. It just acts as part of a broader safety plan, not a substitute for timely family assistance to prevent accidents or unsafe situations.
• It cannot replace communication: a location update does not explain how someone feels, whether they need help, whether something unusual happened.

Privacy and ethical concerns about location sharing

As children grow, they naturally expect more personal privacy and independence. If you constantly monitor their location, it feels like an invasion of privacy and raises trust issues. That’s why maintaining transparency is really crucial. Below are some important points to consider before enabling this feature!

• Respect privacy and build trust: Parents shouldn’t make rules on their own; instead, involve kids and openly talk about the prevailing safety risks. Explain to them the importance of location sharing, who can view their location and also tell them when they should turn it on/off. This open communication indeed builds trust and makes kids feel supported, not monitored.
• Review privacy policies of your chosen service: Furthermore, if you’re using any third-party apps for location sharing instead of the built-in family safety app, you must be extra careful. Check its privacy policies, like which information it collects, who can access it, or whether it’s shared with third parties.

Practical challenges for families

Furthermore, families in most countries also face practical issues that affect the location-sharing service. For instance;

• Mixed device households: Some family households might have a mix of Android & iPhone; built-in location services actually don’t seamlessly work across other OS systems.
• Shared smartphones: Likewise, if multiple family members share the same phone, then location service becomes unreliable because the phone isn’t always with the kid.
• Uneven digital literacy: Not every person is familiar with location-sharing features or adjusting their privacy settings. For kids’ safety, parents need to be aware of such digital tools and also regularly review the settings

How to use family location sharing responsibly?

To make responsible and ethical use of the family location sharing service, parents should consider the following strategies!

Set clear boundaries

Before you enable location sharing, it would be best to make clear rules to avoid any confusion. For instance, clearly discuss where to enable the location service, like during late-night outings, school commutes or long-distance travel, not throughout the day. Likewise, make it clear to them that only trusted family members are allowed to see their location.

Make it age-appropriate

Furthermore, the way you use the location service should also change as your kids grow. For instance:

For kids (6–12 years):

Must enable location sharing during school, tuition, or any kind of outdoor activities. Also, combine these tools with teaching basic road & personal safety skills.

For teens (13–17 years):

Must involve teens when setting the rules instead of making all decisions for them. You should consider their privacy and avoid any unnecessary location checks.

For college students and young adults (18+ years):

College students, owing to their maturity, need trust & mutual support, not strict routine monitoring. Allow them to decide when or with whom they want to share their location.

Combine technology with communication

It’s worth noting that location sharing is used just as a support tool and should not replace conversations about safety. You should regularly give time to kids and talk with them about identifying unsafe situations, safe transport choices and what to do in case of route changes.

Beyond location: building a full safety plan for your girls

As already mentioned, the location-sharing tool has some limitations; however, when it comes to girls’ safety, we can’t afford any compromise. That’s:

• Plan safe travel routes: Explain clearly to the girls that whenever they travel alone or especially after dark, always use familiar roads instead of taking shortcuts.
• Share travel details before leaving: Instruct your children to tell a trusted adult where they are going, their expected arrival time, and what transportation they will take.
• Keep the phone ready for emergencies: Before leaving the house, tell them to check their phone’s battery and Internet connection. Along with this, they should always carry a power bank on long journeys.
• Learn emergency features: In addition, discuss with your girls how to use SOS buttons or helpline numbers in case of any emergency.
• Verify rides before getting in: Whenever they book a ride online, it must match the driver’s name, vehicle number and also verify the OTP before entering in.
• Stay alert rather than distracted: Tell them never to wear headphones while walking or waiting for transport. This is because staying alert to your surroundings is equally important for safety.

The above-mentioned emergency preparedness tips and safe habits make sure your girls remain safe while away from home.

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