{"id":556310,"date":"2026-03-22T04:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T04:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/556310\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T04:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T04:46:14","slug":"when-is-location-sharing-a-red-flag-in-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/556310\/","title":{"rendered":"When is location sharing a red flag in relationships?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between phones, watches and other smart devices, we’re never far from reach for our family, friends and partners.<\/p>\n

There are also apps and location services that can show where we are at any given moment.<\/p>\n

Experts say couples may see location sharing as a sign of trust or closeness.<\/p>\n

But if your partner asked you to share your location, would you say yes? And when does it begin to cross a line from caring into tech-based coercive control<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Why do people share their location?<\/p>\n

According to clinical psychologist and director of the Brisbane Centre for Attachment and Relationships, Dr Clare Rosoman, location sharing in intimate relationships can be motivated by a sense of safety.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Dr Clare Rosoman says location sharing shouldn’t feel forced. (Supplied)<\/p>\n

“It’s [often] about knowing where the other person is to reduce anxiety,” she told ABC Radio National<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“But it has to be done through mutual agreement, it has to enhance a feeling of safety and connection between partners.<\/p>\n

“[But] if that’s the only way you feel safe and connected, then that’s a problem, because that creates an insecure coping strategy in the relationship.”<\/p>\n

How common is location sharing?<\/p>\n

More than one in 10 adults believe it’s reasonable to track a partner using a location-sharing app, according to eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant.<\/p>\n

“There are many legitimate reasons why people might choose to share their location with a partner,” she says.<\/p>\n

She says while many people do it “consensually and with reasonable boundaries”, what concerns her is “the expectation that a partner should be able to monitor someone’s movements in microscopic detail whenever they want”.<\/p>\n

\"Julie<\/p>\n

Julie Inman Grant recommends setting strong boundaries early on in a relationship. (Four Corners: Keana Naughton)<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda Ati\u00e9nzar Prieto has been studying young people’s perceptions of digital coercive control as a PhD candidate at Griffith University’s School of Health Sciences and Social Work in Queensland.<\/p>\n

She says location sharing in intimate relationships is “quite prevalent”, and the technology is generally becoming “very normalised”.<\/p>\n

“We know that people are using [location sharing] apps for a variety of purposes, from practical convenience to personal safety,” she says.<\/p>\n

“Young women, but not young men, primarily engaged with this technology for safety purposes.”<\/p>\n

When does location sharing cross a line?<\/p>\n

Dr Rosoman says it all comes down to “the purpose behind it”.<\/p>\n

“It [shouldn’t] feel forced, and people can openly turn it on and off,” she says.<\/p>\n

\"woman<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda Ati\u00e9nzar Prieto’s research found that participants were introduced to location-sharing apps from a young age by their parents. (ABC News: Nickoles Coleman)<\/p>\n

“The worry is when there’s an expectation in the relationship.”<\/p>\n

This might look like a person “submitting” to location sharing to keep the peace or prevent conflict.<\/p>\n

Ms Ati\u00e9nzar Prieto says if you stop sharing your location and your partner reacts negatively, that can be a red flag.<\/p>\n

“Another sign might be that if they start questioning you [about] why you go to certain places, or why you took a different route going home,” she says.<\/p>\n

“[This] might suggest a level of control that isn’t reflective of caring behaviours.”Family and domestic violence support services:<\/p>\n

Ms Inman Grant says abuse begins to arise when sharing locations “stops being voluntary and becomes something that’s expected or demanded”.<\/p>\n

“Location sharing becomes dangerous when it becomes part of a broader pattern of pressure, manipulation or control,” she says.<\/p>\n

She says support is available through 1800RESPECT or speaking with a domestic and family violence service for advice.<\/p>\n

How to protect yourself from location tracking<\/p>\n

Ms Ati\u00e9nzar Prieto says one of the biggest risks of location sharing in intimate relationships is the amount of data you are giving the other person and the apps.<\/p>\n

How Amanda’s ex used technology to abuse<\/a><\/p>\n

Amanda’s husband always seemed to just know things. When fiddling around with her social media settings, she discovered how he had been using technology to gaslight her.<\/p>\n

“It’s not just about where you are at a given moment, but also about what this information reveals about your everyday life,” she says.<\/p>\n

“So, from your routines, the places you visit, to the people you spend time with, this location data can paint a very detailed picture of what you do every day.”<\/p>\n

She recommends regularly reviewing your privacy settings and who has access to your location.<\/p>\n

“Apps don’t want us to disengage, and they don’t want us to stop sharing our data,” she says.<\/p>\n

“But the first step is knowing exactly where in the app you can change the settings to stop sharing your location.<\/p>\n

“And second, make it a habit to regularly review who has access and ask yourself if you are still comfortable with that.”<\/p>\n

Ms Inman Grant says when it comes to protecting yourself from technology-facilitated coercive control, it’s important to set strong boundaries.<\/p>\n

“Particularly at the beginning of a relationship when you’re still getting to know someone,” she says.<\/p>\n

“If you do decide to share personal digital information, such as location data, it can help to have a clear conversation about why you’re doing it, how it will be used, and when it will be turned off.”<\/p>\n

She says it is also good to be aware that technology is so integrated into everyday life that tracking can be easily disguised.<\/p>\n

“That’s why we encourage people to trust their instincts,” she says.<\/p>\n

“If you feel that someone seems to know details about your movements or conversations that you haven’t shared with them, take that feeling seriously.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Between phones, watches and other smart devices, we’re never far from reach for our family, friends and partners.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99,17106,177425,274742,45398,42394,274740,42720,3637,16863,274738,274741,114762,274739],"class_list":["post-556310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-control","tag-esafety-commission","tag-intimate-relationships","tag-location-sharing","tag-location-tracking","tag-privacy-settings","tag-red-flags","tag-relationships","tag-safety","tag-sharing-my-location","tag-tech-based-coercive-control","tag-tracking","tag-turning-off-my-location"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}