Location-sharing tech to help back-to-school stress

More than half of UK parents find the back-to-school period in September one of the most stressful times of the year, according to new research released by Life360.

The family connection and safety company surveyed 1,000 UK parents to identify the chief sources of stress, revealing concerns such as children ignoring calls and texts and failing to update their whereabouts.

As part of addressing this issue, Life360 has collaborated with Luisa Zissman, a podcaster and mother of three, to help parents manage the back-to-school chaos more effectively. Zissman noted that location-sharing technology has been beneficial in alleviating family stress and coordinating busy schedules. "Back-to-school season can be super stressful trying to coordinate the family's busy schedule. It can be made even more difficult when my daughter is off doing her own thing and doesn't answer calls or texts, or let me know what her plans are after school. But I've found that giving her the freedom she craves, while staying connected through Life360, really helps us both," she said.

The survey results indicated that almost half of the parents worry about managing the busy term-time schedules when their children return to school. Additionally, more than three-quarters of parents agreed that tweens and teens prefer not to think about going back to school until the last minute, thereby adding to the mental load. Half of the surveyed parents admitted they struggle to get their children ready to return to school after the summer holidays. Contributing factors include establishing new routines, organising school transportation, coordinating extracurricular activities, adjusting bedtimes and wake-up times, motivating children for the new term, shopping for school supplies, and re-establishing homework routines.

Interestingly, 40% of surveyed parents have used location-sharing apps to help manage family stress and coordinate busy schedules. Zissman added, "Knowing where she is without having to constantly chase her for updates has taken a lot of stress out of our routine and helped me better coordinate our family's busy schedule." She highlighted the peace of mind that comes from knowing her child's location, which aids in navigating the back-to-school period with less stress.

Parents reported several frustrations related to their children's behaviour during the back-to-school season. Common complaints included children ignoring calls and texts, not sharing updates on their whereabouts, and failing to communicate after-school plans. Some parents noted that their children often forget to charge their phones or come home later than planned. According to the survey, parents send an average of five messages each week asking about their child's whereabouts, with 59% of these messages sometimes being ignored, and another four weekly texts enquiring when their child will be home.

David Rice, International General Manager at Life360, contextualised the findings within the broader landscape of family stress management. "The back-to-school season is stressful enough for both parents and kids without constantly chasing each other for updates on each other's whereabouts. By ensuring the whole family is always in the loop, parents and kids can ease some of that anxiety and navigate the chaos with a bit more confidence," Rice said.

Rice also mentioned the significant increase in Life360 registrations during the back-to-school period, noting a 66% rise in UK registrations in the first week of September last year. He emphasised that features such as real-time location sharing, arrival and departure notifications, low battery alerts, location history, and emergency services dispatch can help alleviate frustrations for parents as their children return to school.