Parents can now track their teenager's Uber ride as it happens.

      Shimul Sood / Digital Trends

      Allowing your teenager to ride alone in an Uber can be somewhat unsettling, even with the ability to track their journey on a map. Uber believes that providing a live video stream of the ride could help alleviate parents' worries.

      The company is launching a live video streaming option for teen rides in the US, enabling parents and guardians to view their child’s journey through their own Uber account. This feature is currently operational in nine locations, including Atlanta, Cleveland, and Rhode Island, and Uber plans to roll it out across the country in the coming weeks. The concept is straightforward: instead of putting in another camera inside the vehicle, Uber utilizes the driver's phone to deliver the video feed.

      Parents can monitor without having to call

      When a teenager initiates a ride and live video is accessible, the connected parent or guardian will receive a notification. They can then decide whether to view the stream. There will be no secret observations; if a parent begins watching, both the driver and the teenager will be alerted that the live feed is active. Access is limited to parents or guardians whose accounts are linked to the teen’s Uber account, preventing other Uber users from tuning in.

      Uber

      This feature builds upon Uber’s existing teen accounts, first introduced in the US in 2023 and now available in over 50 countries. These accounts are designed to provide teenagers with a degree of independence while still giving parents extra safety and monitoring options. The introduction of live video enhances this concept further. While a map can indicate the car's location, a video feed can provide a clearer picture of what is happening during the ride.

      However, there are some privacy concerns

      There are a few important points to consider. If there is another passenger in the car with the teenager, they will also appear on the live feed, and Uber does not offer an option for these passengers to opt-out of being seen. Uber states that the video is encrypted and is deleted after the ride concludes. Once the trip is finished, the driver, teenager, parent, or guardian will no longer have access to the footage.

      Uber

      What remains unclear is the specific type of encryption employed by Uber. The company has not disclosed whether the stream is end-to-end encrypted, which would prevent Uber from having access. This detail is significant for a feature that involves transmitting live footage from inside a vehicle. Nonetheless, for parents already using Uber's teen accounts, the live video feature could provide something that location tracking cannot: the opportunity to quickly observe the ride and ensure that everything is proceeding as planned.

      Shimul is a contributor at Digital Trends, with over five years of experience in the tech space.

      Volkswagen launches $13,400 ID. Era 5S with 99 miles electric range

      Volkswagen introduces the cost-effective ID. Era 5S, featuring up to 160km of electric range.

      Volkswagen has unveiled a new sedan in China that might surprise many with its appealing features and pricing. The ID. Era 5S starts at only 89,900 yuan, or about $13,400, and combines a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a range of up to 99 miles in electric mode. The car was officially presented at the 2026 Chengdu Auto Show and marks the second sedan in Volkswagen's China-exclusive ID. Era lineup. Manufactured through the SAIC-Volkswagen partnership, the 5S targets the increasingly competitive market for affordable new-energy vehicles in China.

      Hyundai’s new Ioniq V undercuts the cheapest EV in US by over $10,000

      Hyundai's new Ioniq V EV pre-sales begin in China, priced under $18,000, and features a 27-inch display along with dual AI chatbots.

      Beijing Hyundai has commenced pre-sales for the Ioniq V, an elegant mid-size sedan and the inaugural production model under Hyundai's new China-exclusive Ioniq sub-brand. The pricing starts at 119,900 yuan, approximately $17,600, and can reach up to 139,900 yuan ($20,600) for the fully equipped version. As a point of reference, the least expensive EV in America, the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt, starts at $28,995, making the Ioniq V’s highest trim still more than $8,000 less than the cheapest EV currently available in the US.

      BYD’s $37,000 Da Han EV offers range and features usually reserved for luxury cars in the US

      BYD has launched a sedan that provides luxury-car features and range for less than the base price of a Tesla Model 3 in the US.

      In recent years, Chinese automakers have elevated the standards for what affordable sedans (or cars in general) can deliver, and BYD's latest offering exemplifies this trend. The Da Han recently opened pre-sales in China with a price tag under $37,000, comparable to entry-level pricing in the United States,