Abstract
<p>Introduction. Digital tracking tools are now at parents’ fingertips, raising concerns about infringement on adolescents’ autonomy, privacy, and well-being. Despite growing concerns about parental digital surveillance, empirical research beyond location tracking remains limited. This study examined parental digital tracking across three key domains: school performance, location, and finances. Methods. This is a multi-informant, cross-sectional survey study (2024) including 525 Dutch parent–adolescent dyads (adolescents: Mage=14.1, range=11-18; 53% female; parents: Mage=46.7, 81% mothers). A second sample (N = 175 dyads; 2019) tested replication and changes over time. Results. In 2024, nearly all parents (99.6%) tracked at least one domain. Most adolescents accepted tracking, though location tracking was accepted less. Younger, less educated parents, and mothers tracked more frequently, particularly school performance. Adolescents following a lower secondary educational track were tracked more frequently. Younger adolescents and boys experienced more frequent school tracking, whereas older adolescents were tracked more frequently in location. Digital tracking was unrelated to adolescent well-being (e.g., anxiety symptoms) but positively associated with parental control- and fear-related factors (e.g., overprotection, dangerous worldviews). School and location tracking increased over the past five years, as did adolescents’ acceptance of tracking. Conclusions. Parental digital tracking appears a common tool for many parents today and its frequent use may reflect parental insecurities, with no clear link to adolescent maladjustment. Longitudinal research is needed to examine whether digital tracking reassures parents or reinforces fears, which might undermine parents’ - and potentially also adolescents’ - well-being.</p>