Uber to Offer Optional Livestreams of Teen Rides to Parents and Guardians

Uber Technologies Inc. is rolling out a new safety feature that lets parents or guardians view a video livestream of their teenager’s ride.

The feature uses the selfie camera on the driver’s phone and notifies an authorized guardian if a livestream is available for viewing within the Uber app, the rideshare company said in a statement on Tuesday. Both the teen and the driver will be alerted when the parent is tuning in.

The safety measure will roll out nationwide over the coming weeks and is currently being tested in nine markets across the US: Atlanta, Phoenix, Orlando, San Antonio, Cleveland; El Paso, Texas; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and the state of Rhode Island.

Uber is announcing the livestream feature during back-to-school season, when parents may require car services to pick up or drop off their kids at school or extracurricular activities. The teen ride product, which allows children ages 13 to 17 to be matched with “highly rated, experienced drivers,” has proven popular, with tens of millions of trips completed since its launch in 2023. It is available in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Livestreaming will only be available if drivers choose to have it enabled for rides, an Uber spokesperson said. Live video streaming runs in the background to adapt to the driver’s device, the representative added. The app monitors battery, device temperature and performance and will pause the stream automatically if needed, including if the driver’s connection is unstable.

In the livestream onboarding process for drivers, Uber is recommending that drivers position their phones in a way that provides a "clear view" of the back seat. The company said only adults linked to the teen account can view the livestream during an active trip. Similar to audio recordings, the livestreamed footage will not be accessible to the driver, guardian or teen after the trip ends.

The livestreaming feature adds to a number of safety features that are already available for teen rides: parents or guardians linked to the teen account can track all their rides on a map in real-time, and pin verification is required for every teen trip. Young riders and their drivers also have the option to record audio for their trip.