Parents feel fambushed by teens who are tracking their every move

It was supposed to help parents sleep at night — now it’s their kids who won’t leave them alone.Thanks to family-tracking apps like Life360, a new generation of teens has turned the tables on their parents, using the digital leash meant for safety to spy, stalk and score snacks.The trend has been dubbed “fambushing,” a mashup of “family” and “ambushing,” and parents say it’s ruining their peace, their privacy — and their queso.“I can never run errands in peace,” wrote mom Nicole DeRoy in a recent TikTok clip, where she revealed her teen now tracks her every move.“POV: you downloaded Life360 when your teen started driving to make sure they were safe, but now they track your every move,” she wrote.Some moms are even getting surprise visits while dining out.“When your daughter stalks your location and sees that you’re out eating Mexican food,” Chrysta captioned her TikTok video — which documents her daughter stopping by the restaurant.

“I hate Life360.”Jayme Beecher Crosby got hit with the ultimate chip heist when her teen daughter showed up at her restaurant table and helped herself.“When your daughter tracks you on Life 360 & shows up to steal chips/salsa and water,” she wrote.According to Life360, teens — especially the driving-age crowd — now open the app 25% more often than their parents and set 70% more “Place Alerts,” turning everyday errands into opportunities for freebies or family ambushes.And Gen Z, the first generation of true digital natives, isn’t stopping there.Between Snap Map and iPhone’s location sharing, many teens know where everyone is, all the time — and they’re not shy about pulling up.“‘Safe’ is the number one term that comes to mind for 66% of Gen Z respondents when thinking about location sharing,” Lauren Antonoff, Life360’s COO, told Parents.“Eighty-seven percent of Gen Z respondents said they use the technology for long-distance driving, 80% when visiting new or ...