‘[It] started feeling like surveillance with a smile’: Clingy older sibling repeatedly follows their younger sibling using location sharing on Life360, so the youngest decides to stop sharing their whereabouts with the whole family

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Sep 18, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Many people covet others' close sibling relationships. We're all so attached to our phones nowadays that we don't even communicate with our family face-to-face, and instead, send each other memes from the couch to the loveseat. In the same vein, we're all too connected because of our phones; Location sharing has become the norm for family and friends alike, and all it takes is one bad apple to make you regret ever sharing your whereabouts in the first place.

The younger sibling featured in this story explains that their entire family shares their locations on the grounds of safety and security. It makes sense for parents and siblings to have each other's location, especially because it saves everyone a phone call or text message. It's easy to get caught up in the all-knowing-ness of it all, so it's important to tread carefully. The younger sibling has a family stalker: Their older sibling.

It's important to call it what it is. Their sibling pops up everywhere they are, regardless of whether they are with friends or acting as a lone wolf. Privacy is important to all of us, and the older sibling is exercising a major breach of trust. To think that they even call the youngest ungrateful when they decide to turn their location off…

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  • person holding cellular phone tracking someone else's location on a map
    via Tamas Tuzes-Katai for Unsplash

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "WIBTA for turning off shared Life360 in our sibling group after one sibling started showing up wherever I was within minutes of me moving?"

    Our family set up Life360 last year after a winter pileup on the highway. It was supposed to be for quick check ins and peace of mind.
    via fairybabeq
  • At first it was chill and kind of cute. Then my older sibling started popping up wherever I was like clockwork.
    via fairybabeq
  • I would leave the house and five minutes later they would stroll into the same coffee shop like oh hey just passing through.
    via fairybabeq
  • It happened at the park and at the grocery store and even at the gym parking lot. One time I went to the pharmacy and they arrived while I was still at the counter which felt creepy.
    via fairybabeq
  • Another day I met friends at a food truck and they pulled up with lawn chairs like it was a stakeout.
    via fairybabeq
  • I asked the sibling to chill in the group chat and they called it being protective which made my skin crawl.
    via fairybabeq
  • After that I tried moving around with random stops just to see and they still found me fast.
    via fairybabeq
  • They liked to bring snacks or errands as excuses and it always sounded helpful on paper.
    via fairybabeq
  • It stopped feeling like family safety and started feeling like surveillance with a smile.
    via fairybabeq
  • My phone would ping and ugh my stomach would drop because I knew a pop in might be coming.
    via fairybabeq
  • I turned off notifications for a week and the surprise appearances slowed but did not stop.
    via fairybabeq
  • older boy with headphones on looking at this cellular phone and tracking a location on GPS
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • It clicked that they were checking the map in real time and using my location like a live itinerary.
    via fairybabeq
  • | I told the group I wanted to pause my sharing and switch to manual check ins on trips and emergencies.
    via fairybabeq
  • Half the siblings said do what makes you feel safe and the other half said the map keeps everyone calmer.
    via fairybabeq
  • The clingy sibling said I was ungrateful for their care and my cheeks went hot.
    via fairybabeq
  • I tried offering compromises like only sharing during long drives or after dark or when traveling.
    via fairybabeq
  • They kept showing up anyway and I started planning my errands like a spy which is ridiculous lol.
    via fairybabeq
  • My social time got weird because friends kept asking why my sibling materialized everywhere.
    via fairybabeq
  • I like being close to family but I also like breathing without someone tracking my groceries low key.
    via fairybabeq
  • I even asked a neighbor to text me if they saw that car the next week and the texts kept coming.
    via fairybabeq
  • The whole point of the app was safety not surprise audits of my day.
    via fairybabeq
  • I get that location sharing can save lives and yeah I know it helps in storms and breakdowns.
    via fairybabeq
  • I also know that consent matters and constant drive bys feel lousy and invasive.
    via fairybabeq
  • If I turn off the app and just send updates I can still be reachable without being chaseable.
    via fairybabeq
  • My plan is to announce the change and keep one emergency channel like a quick call or a pinned chat.
    via fairybabeq
  • I am bracing for fussing and side eye and maybe a long lecture about family unity.
    via fairybabeq
  • AITA if I switch off sharing for a while and keep my sanity.
    via fairybabeq
  • dollieshiningstars Family unity is not live itinerary. You're a person, not a bus route; go manual updates and breathe, tbh.
    via dollieshiningstars
  • RaspberryEvening3782 NTA. Turn it off forever. It's none of their business where you are. If they want to know they can ask, and if you want to tell them you can. I don't get why anyone uses Life 360.
    via RaspberryEvening3782
  • dnabsuh1 NTA- but you can make this a game- have friends take the phone and stop at different weird places, they can hand it off like a relay race.
    via dnabsuh1
  • jiujitsugeek This, but have said friends carry the phone through areas with no car access (e.g., park, lake) or places that charge for admission. Your intrusive siblings will end up tired and with less money in their pockets.
    via jiujitsugeek

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family dynamics family drama gps life360 entitlement siblings reddit story family feud parenting entitled family sibling reddit thread parent Reddit location parents entitled people
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