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

Uber is expanding its teen account feature to let parents view a live feed from a driver’s selfie camera during a ride. The company tested the capability in several markets and is now rolling it out nationwide over the next few weeks. Parents or guardians linked to a teen’s account receive a push notification when live video becomes available. Both the teen and the driver are notified if a parent tunes in, and the feed automatically cuts off when the trip ends.

Drivers who opt in to accept underage passengers will be asked to grant brief access to their phone’s front-facing camera. If they approve, the linked parent can watch the ride in real time. Uber stated that only the linked parent or guardian can view the live video during an active trip. The footage is encrypted, and neither the driver, the guardian, nor the teen can access a recording after the trip concludes.

The feature builds on safety tools Uber introduced when it launched teen accounts in 2023, including PIN verification and live GPS tracking. The company acknowledged that many parents remain wary about letting teenagers ride alone, especially amid broader concerns about ride-hail safety. Uber is currently facing more than 4,000 active lawsuits filed by passengers in state and federal courts involving allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, many of which name drivers. Uber has said that drivers must maintain top ratings and clean safety records to qualify for teen trips.

This is not the first time Uber has requested access to drivers’ selfie cameras. Drivers can manually enable the optional Record My Ride feature, which uses the phone’s front-facing camera and microphone to automatically capture trips. Uber says it cannot view those recordings unless the driver chooses to upload them when filing a safety report.

The new live video option is separate from that recording feature, applying specifically to teen-account trips. Uber framed the update as a privacy-conscious measure, emphasizing that only the designated guardian can watch and that no permanent recording is kept. The rollout affects U.S. riders, as the teen account system operates in the American market where the lawsuits and safety scrutiny are concentrated.

More gadget news from TechManNews.