A 19-year-old college student who started a spontaneous roadtrip realized her parents were still tracking her location -- despite no longer supporting her financially.
The sophomore, who goes by u/amelia_larsen, explained in a post on the Am I the A subreddit that her parents had previously paid for most of her tuition and housing, but only on the condition that she keep the location-sharing app Life360 active at all times.
Newsweek reached out to u/amelia_larsen via Reddit direct message.
While she found the arrangement intrusive, she said she accepted it while they were footing the bill.
That dynamic changed after a major disagreement last semester, when she switched her major from biology to nursing. Her dad did not support her decision.
"He told me I was throwing away a bigger opportunity but I feel like I can help more people this way," the original poster (OP) wrote.
The conflict escalated to the point that her parents stopped contributing financially altogether.
Now fully self-funded through student loans and two jobs, the Gen Z student said she believed the tracking arrangement was no longer relevant -- until her phone started buzzing during a weekend road trip to another state.
Her mother repeatedly demanded to know why she wasn't where she "should" be.
"I had forgotten about the tracking app at this point. I realized that's how they knew and I just deleted the app," the OP wrote.
Then came a barrage of calls from both parents warning her about the dangers of not being tracked and insisting she reinstall the app.
She refused, telling them that since she was paying for her own life, she valued her privacy and no longer felt comfortable being monitored.
According to the post, which has received over 20,000 upvotes and comments, her parents accused her of trying to cut them off entirely and told her she would not be welcome at Thanksgiving if she didn't turn the app back on.
In the comments, most users sided with the student.
"Not a win necessarily," one commenter replied. "Never nice to see a family going into scorched earth territory. Ideally the parents get their heads out of the toilet and realize they are sabotaging their relationship with OP."
Several commenters suggested the conflict went far beyond a single app. "This isn't about this one incident -- it's about overall control," one wrote. "And the more OP pushes back the more they're going to act out and try to regain control."
One user shared a personal experience, describing years of tension over location sharing with their own parent. Repeating the phrase "you need to learn to respect boundaries," they said, ultimately led to a healthier relationship, even if the issue never fully disappeared. They advised the student to stand firm -- even if it meant calling her parents' bluff about the holiday.
Studies have suggested that when parents maintain excessive control over adult children -- monitoring their movements, decisions or daily lives -- it can undermine confidence, delay independence and even hinder long-term career development.
While often rooted in concern or protection, this level of involvement can send the message that young adults are incapable of managing their own choices, making it harder for them to fully step into professional and personal responsibility.