Uber rideshare safety tips for teens: What parents should know

It's Saturday night, and your 15-year-old wants to go to the movies with a friend. The problem? You have a toddler at home. After 8 p.m., it's pretty much impossible to leave the house. Should you arrange an Uber for your teen instead? 

You could! But first, teach your teen a few Uber safety tips. Knowing how to check driver information, share trip details, and use Uber's in-app safety features can give you (and your teen) peace of mind. 

How Uber teen accounts work (and what parents can control)

You're probably familiar with the Uber app. It allows you to book a rideshare from any location to your preferred destination. But recently, Uber introduced a new tool for its younger customers. Known as Uber teen accounts, it provides extra safety and parental supervision features. They include:

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• Automatic matching with highly-rated drivers

• Trip sharing via in-app alerts and links

• Mandatory PIN verification before the ride begins

• RideCheck, which notifies you if a ride goes off-course or stops suddenly

• Option for audio recording

You can add a teen to your Uber account by setting up a family profile. Teens must be at least 13 years old to use the service. 

Uber uses your saved payment information to pay for teen rides. But you can set a spending limit on their account. If they get close to the limit, you'll get a notification that you can respond to.

Before the ride: Safety checks every teen should do

If your teen hasn't taken an Uber before, get them ready for the experience. Going over Uber safety tips for passengers can help them feel more at ease during their ride.

• Verify driver and vehicle information: Once the ride is confirmed, the driver's name, photo, vehicle type, and license plate appear on the screen. Ask your teens to compare each detail with their Uber before getting in the car. 

• Choose a smart pickup spot: Avoid busy streets with lots of traffic, since drivers may have difficulty stopping. If your teen is traveling at night, encourage them to choose a well-lit pickup location where people are around if they need help. Parking lots and business entrances are a good option if they're open. 

You can practice this with them on a parent-teen Uber trip before they start booking their own rides.

Smart habits for your teen’s Uber ride 

• Stay in the loop with location tracking: Uber lets you track your child's location in the app. You'll get an alert when they book a ride, plus real-time status updates on their trip progression. You can also view the driver details that your teen sees through your Uber account. These features give you visibility into your teen's ride from start to finish.

• Encourage teens to stay alert during the ride: Another rideshare safety tip for teens is to sit in the back seat during their trip. This precaution creates space between your teen and the driver. Also, advise them to stay alert. Save social media scrolling and catnaps for later — focus on what's going on inside and outside the vehicle during the ride.

• Utilize built-in safety features in the Uber app: Uber offers built-in safety tools within the app to protect passengers. Teens can tap the Emergency Button in the Uber app to call 911. And all Uber Teen accounts have RideCheck, which sends an alert if it detects a crash, extended stop, or other odd activity. Show your teen where these features are so they know how to use them if they need to.

If something feels off: What teens should do

No rideshare is 100% safe, even with a host of security features. Here are some tips if your teen feels something is off.

• Trust your instinct: Among the best safety tips for Uber is to trust gut instincts. If your teen feels uncomfortable at any point, even for no obvious reason, end the ride early. 

• It’s okay to safely end the trip: To do so, your teen can change their destination to their current location in the Uber app. They can also tell the driver to stop and let them out. This is a solid option in busy areas with people around.

• Keep communication lines open: Tell your teen to text you ASAP if something's wrong. But if they need immediate help, they can tap the Emergency Button in the Uber app to notify the local police.  

• Offer post-trip support: If your teen has a bad experience with Uber, ask them to explain what happened. Talking about it can have a calming effect and help you decide on the next steps. You can report incidents that compromise your teen's security through the Uber app.  

Setting Uber ride rules that build independence and trust

Uber Teen is a solid option for busy families (or when you're not quite ready to deal with teen driving risks). Your teen can use it to get to school, sports practice, or hang out with friends. But it's smart to set a few expectations before handing over the keys to an Uber account.

Here are some tips on how to establish ground rules while supporting your teen’s first rideshare experience: 

• Start by deciding when it's okay to take an Uber. Should your teen ask you for a ride first, or can they book a trip when they need one? Can they take friends with them? Are there any destinations that are off-limits?

• Track rideshare expenses. Ubers can add up quickly, so it's important to track costs. Set a monthly limit on your teen's account to keep expenses in line with your budget. 

• Use the right location tracking tools: As a parent, it's totally normal to want to know your teen's whereabouts when they're away from home. And there are tools besides Uber that can reassure you of your teen's security — like Greenlight's GPS safety tracker§. With Greenlight, you can view your teen's location in real-time, no texting required. It helps you stay in the loop without hovering.

Protect your teen on the go 

Stay connected with Greenlight Infinity. Enjoy location sharing, real-time alerts, and driving safety features†† to keep your teen safe while supporting their independence.

§The Greenlight Safe Family device, for Kids, Seniors, or Pets, requires the purchase of the device and a monthly data plan for connectivity. Existing Greenlight customers must be on Core, Max, Infinity or Family Shield plans to use the device. Device is not available for use with Select or Greenlight+Invest plans. See Terms for more details.

††Requires mobile data or a WiFi connection, and access to sensory and motion data from cell phone to utilize safety features including family location sharing and driving alerts and reports. Messaging and data rates and other terms may apply.