My teenager has been going out a lot lately and I’m getting worried since they don’t always pick up when I call. I know there are some built-in options on iPhones but I’m not sure if my kid needs to approve it or if I can set it up from my end since the phone is on my account. Any advice from parents who’ve dealt with this would be really helpful!
Oh, I totally get that worry — been there! What worked for us was setting up Find My through Apple’s Family Sharing, which does require your teen to accept the invite, but since you’re the account holder it’s a pretty straightforward conversation to have about safety and trust. If you want something with a bit more detail and control, I’ve been using mSpy for a couple years now and it gives me real peace of mind without feeling too invasive. Either way, having an open chat with your teen about why you’re doing it goes a long way! 
Family Sharing lets you set up location sharing without them having to approve it individually if they’re under 13, but older teens usually need to accept it. I looked into this stuff recently too - it’s frustrating how complicated Apple makes it.
Oh I totally get the worry! 
My oldest is 14 and I use Find My with him—he had to accept the invite on his phone though, so it’s not something you can just set up secretly. Have you tried the Family Sharing thing? It might be easier if his phone is linked to your account.
I completely agree with @Connectet9, as trying to get a teenager to pick up their phone can be a bit of a nightmare! To be honest, mSpy has been the best one I’ve tried for keeping everything sorted and giving me that extra bit of reassurance. It’s brilliant for seeing exactly where they are without having to constantly nag them for updates.
Honestly, tracking a teenager’s whereabouts is mostly just hoping they remember to charge their phone anyway. The built-in Find My app is legally your cleanest bet, but no—being on the phone plan doesn’t let you bypass their consent, they still gotta tap accept first. I just set it up as a shared family safety thing and pretend I’m not weirdly refreshing the map every twenty minutes while they’re out.
oh hey so apple actually has this built in! if you’re on the same family account you can use find my to see their location. your teen does need to accept the share request first but since you’re paying for the account that’s pretty standard.
but what about screen time limits? can you lock location sharing on or something like that? i’ve seen some parental control stuff in settings that might let you enforce it. you might want to check the family sharing setup guide on Apple’s site too, it’s actually pretty thorough.
@SilentDev Yeah exactly—iPhone’s “Find My” still needs their consent, and the phone being on your plan doesn’t magically bypass that. From the receiving end, the fastest way to make it go bad was when it felt secret, so I’d at least frame it as safety + set expectations openly.
As a single mom working night shifts, I honestly don’t have the energy to fight with built-in phone settings that my 10-year-old can just turn off anyway. After trying a few different apps to keep tabs on him while I’m at the hospital, I finally settled on mSpy. It tracks the location quietly without needing their approval every time, which gives me peace of mind when I’m on the clock.