By NIRENDRA DEV
From love bombing to constant tracking, experts warn that technology is changing the nature of relationships, often blurring the line between care and control.
New Delhi, July 31, 2026 — Location sharing is a digital blessing.
My daughter studies away from home and whenever she travels, we take full advantage of the technology. It gives us reassurance and peace of mind.
The problem begins when I travel.
My wife occasionally tracks my location online. On top of that, she calls to ask, “Did you eat something?” or “How is your headache?”
I jokingly reply, “My headache is back home.”
She rarely understands the joke immediately.
The fallout? A much bigger and louder headache when my journey ends and I am back home.
Smile, please!
In today’s hyper-connected world, technology is reshaping how young people build relationships.
But there is another side to the story.
Some digital behaviours that appear to reflect care, affection and emotional connection can actually be signs of coercive control — a form of abuse that manipulates, isolates and traps people in unhealthy relationships.
A recent Australian survey found that nearly one in five young people aged 18 to 24 believe it is acceptable to track their partner whenever they want.
Young people are especially vulnerable because many do not recognise coercive control when it is happening.
Only two in five Australian young adults understand the term “coercive control.” At the same time, many view controlling digital behaviours—such as constant texting, demanding instant replies or location tracking—as signs of love and care.
This lack of awareness allows abuse to hide in plain sight.
As technology becomes more deeply embedded in relationships, it is helping coercive control evolve in new and dangerous ways, according to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
Coercive control usually develops gradually.
Love bombing
The relationship begins with excessive affection, compliments and gifts. Everything feels intense, exciting and almost too perfect, particularly for young people experiencing their first serious relationship.
Isolation
Slowly, one partner starts distancing the other from friends, family and support networks.
Common lines include: “I just want you to myself.”
Or subtle criticism of people close to the victim.
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Manipulation
The controlling partner gradually dictates what the other wears, who they meet, where they go and how they spend their time.
Emotional pressure, guilt, threats and confusion become tools to maintain power.
By the time the victim recognises what is happening, leaving the relationship has become emotionally difficult—even though the abuse may never have turned physical.
Having grown up with the internet, Generation Z is generally far more comfortable sharing personal data online.
Snapchat, hugely popular among younger users, has long offered Snap Maps, allowing friends—and sometimes partners—to know each other’s location in real time.
But Joanna Harrison, a couples therapist and author of Five Arguments All Couples (Need to) Have, believes constant location sharing can upset the delicate balance between independence and togetherness that every healthy relationship requires.
“It would be a shame if these apps took away an opportunity to share the details of each other’s independent lives because they already knew them,” she says.
She adds that something romantic is lost when you know, to the second, where someone is.
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“What about that satisfying feeling of waiting for someone to arrive, without knowing the exact moment?”
Technology itself is not foolproof.
Emily, 33, from London, told The Guardian that her husband once panicked when her shared location showed she was inside a hospital while she was heavily pregnant.
In reality, she was simply on a train passing the hospital.
Similarly, many apps notify partners that someone is “home” while they are still several minutes away from actually reaching the front door.
So what exactly is the guarantee?
Then again, the alternative is hardly perfect.
After a late night out, a friend messages: “Did you get home safely?”
The reply is usually simple: All good!
But is that always enough?
Some research suggests that digital monitoring can strengthen intimacy for couples separated by distance or other circumstances.
Yet technology-facilitated abuse is becoming increasingly common.
Research cited by digital rights advocates found that 72 per cent of women accessing support services in 2019 reported experiencing technology-facilitated abuse. While this extends beyond location tracking, experts argue that the idea of “caring surveillance” often blurs the boundaries between intimacy and privacy.
On a recent episode of the Modern Love podcast, host Anna Martin compared being able to see another person’s location to possessing a superpower.
“But like any superpower,” she said, “it must be used responsibly. And sometimes, that means just turning it off.”
The Indian context
In India, location sharing is still at a relatively early stage compared with many Western countries.
Yet its adoption is growing rapidly, especially among younger professionals and marketing teams, where colleagues and employers increasingly expect constant visibility.
Convenience is undeniable.
Safety benefits are real.
But every digital convenience comes with a question.
At what point does care become surveillance?
And when does reassurance quietly turn into control?
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