However, while online following and monitoring has become commonplace among family and friends, research published by the eSafety Commissioner on Thursday suggests this behaviour spilling over into romantic relationships has problematic implications.

Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour that manipulates, intimidates and dominates another person – often in intimate or dating relationships.

The eSafety Commissioner has explained that young people are especially vulnerable – and many don’t recognise coercive control when it’s happening.

Maneesha Prakash from the Youth Advocacy Centre works with young people and delivers community legal education programs in schools.

The domestic and family violence lawyer said it has become widely normalised for people to track friends, partners and loved ones through social media. 

“Most apps have the ability to share locations,” Prakash said.

“(Young) people don’t blink twice. They think it’s normal. They think it’s part of somebody caring about them. 

“That leads to them getting into quite toxic relationships and all the flow-on effects.”

The prospect of tracking a partner can be a form of tech-based coercive control, which is a pattern of abusive behaviour used to control someone within a relationship.

Many apps make it easy to allow a person to track, monitor and manipulate their boyfriend or girlfriend, with the tools enabling real-time location tracking, allowing constant message surveillance and blurring the line between affection and control.

“A lot of young people find it really confronting when you talk to them about coercive control and how it’s not normal behaviour to be constantly monitored,” Prakash said.

“We are seeing quite a lot of DV behaviours stemming from coercive control that comes with locating someone.”

Prakash said there were significant gaps in knowledge that have left young people at a disadvantage.

“It’s important to keep having conversations around consent and coercive control in schools and at home.,” she said.

Ashton Wood, chief executive of DV Safe Phone, said the trend was concerning and could have harmful consequences.

Wood leads the organisation that provides free mobile phones to domestic violence victims across Australia.

“In domestic violence, we see lots around technology-facilitated abuse,” he said.

“It becomes a method of control and before the victim realises it, their partner is watching everything.” 

Wood said it was important to have a safe phone - one that was not tracked or monitored.

“It’s really critical if someone’s in danger to have access to a device that their partner doesn’t know about, that can be used without fear of being tracked or monitored,” he said.

The eSafety Commissioner’s research found 18.6 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 expected to track their partner whenever they wanted. 

The study surveyed 2000 Australians aged 18 to 75, asking whether they agreed with certain harmful expectations and attitudes linked to tech-based coercive control in intimate relationships.

Tracking a partner can take many forms, including using Apple’s Find My app or third-party apps such as Life360, which is popular among parents.

The eSafety Commissioner has a range of recommendations for teachers, including modelling healthy relationships, talking about boundaries, respect, and consent, reinforcing that real love is supportive, not controlling and letting them know it’s fine to ask for help.

(with AAP)

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