Tracking Devices for Teens

Cell Phone Tracking

• A quick glance around any mall in America will reveal that teens and cell phones literally go hand in hand. Cell phones are also effective tracking tools. Cell phone tracking depends on the maker of the phone and your cell service provider. To track your teen's whereabouts, the phone must interact with a GPS satellite, which indicates where the mobile phone is at any given moment. In addition to GPS tracking, parents can view cell phone activity and frequently used numbers by reviewing monthly cell phone call activity on the bill.

Automobile Tracking

• The first vehicle tracking devices were created to monitor commercial freight vehicles. Now vehicle tracking technology is available to parents who want to monitor teens' driving activity. Tracking devices can be installed inside a car that allow parents to know the driving speed and where the car is being driven. Although not directly related to safe teen driving, the tracking systems can also help the police recover your vehicle if it is stolen.

GPS Tracking Watches

• GPS watches combine the best of cell phone technology with GPS location data. Tracking watches allow parents to know their teen's location in real time. Some watches will even allow parents to contact the teens through the watch itself. Once a bulky unattractive device, the updated GPS watch is small enough to fit on a teenager's wrist and looks like a regular watch.

Internet Tracking

• Accessing your computer's Internet history is an effective way to track the sites your teen is visiting. However, Internet-savvy teens may know how to delete the sites they do not want to appear in the history. Another way to monitor your teen's computer activity is by installing monitoring software or creating a Windows Live account. With the help of monitoring programs, you can limit your teen's time spent on the computer, download privileges and website access.