Uber is letting parents check in on their teens through drivers’ selfie cameras

Uber is updating its teen account feature to allow parents to use the selfie cameras on Uber drivers’ phones to check in on their teenage children during ridehail trips.

Since first launching teen accounts in 2023, Uber has touted the myriad ways parents can keep tabs on their children, from PIN verification to live GPS tracking. Now, parents can also view live video of the ride while it’s in progress by viewing the feed from the driver’s selfie camera. Uber said that after testing the new feature in several markets, it’s ready to roll out nationwide over the next few weeks.

Drivers who have opted in to accept underage passengers will now also be asked to give parents brief access to the selfie cameras on their phones. If they approve, the parent or guardian who’s linked in the teen’s account will receive a push notification when live video is available. The teen and the driver are both notified if the parent is tuning in. And once the ride ends, the live video automatically stops.

Uber says that security and privacy remain a top priority, noting that only the parent or guardian linked to the teen’s account can view live video during an active trip. And the video is encrypted, meaning the driver, guardian, and teen do not have access to the recording after the trip ends.

Still, it’s an acknowledgement that many parents may still feel trepidation about letting their teens loose in the world, especially amid ongoing concerns about the safety of ridehail rides. Uber, in particular, is currently facing over 4,000 active sexual assault and misconduct lawsuits filed by passengers in state and federal courts — many of which involve alleged assaults committed by drivers. Uber has said that drivers must maintain top ratings and clean safety records to qualify for teen trips.

This isn’t the first time Uber has asked drivers for access to their selfie cameras. If a driver manually turns on the optional Record My Ride feature, the Uber app will use their phone’s front-facing camera and microphone to automatically record trips. And Uber says it can’t view these trip recordings unless the driver chooses to upload and send them when filing a safety report.