I Track My Teens' Phones And Discovered Something Unexpected About Myself

The author and his sons at age 16.

It was 2am as I stared at my phone screen, watching the blue dot representing one of my teenage sons move through unfamiliar streets after a party. Although he had no curfew, he rarely stayed out this late. Unable to sleep, I watched his movements, waiting for the telltale signs that he was in an Uber and heading home.

Since installing a tracking app on the phones of my teenage twin sons, this anxious late-night ritual has become all too familiar.