Relationship therapist issues warning over common habit that is actually a 'major red flag' - and could even be a sign you need to break up
Popular applications like WhatsApp and Find My Friends make it easier than ever to keep tabs on where other people are.
However, just because it is possible to track a person's movements, doesn't mean it's healthy.
In fact, according to London-based therapist Phil Macleod, the practice can actually be a sign of underlying issues in a relationship.
Phil, who is a therapist and founder of Thought Reader, told FEMAIL that use of location tracking is a 'care-versus-control issue'.
He added: 'Occasional check-ins on a loved one's whereabouts can stem from genuine concern - making sure they're safe or that they arrived somewhere okay.
'But tracking someone all the time? That usually says less about love, and more about mistrust, anxiety, or deeper control issues.'
In fact, he added, location tracking can even indicate that the relationship has some fundamental issues, if the habit becomes too important to one or both partners.
Phil explained: 'When location tracking becomes routine, expected, or obsessive, it often signals that the foundations of the relationship - trust, mutual respect, and emotional safety - may be missing.
'And if one partner doesn't even know they're being tracked?
'That's a major red flag. It can be part of a broader pattern of covert control or spousal abuse, leaving the other person feeling watched, disempowered, or even trapped.'
While some people may think that constantly monitoring their partner is about closeness, according to Phil, it could signal the opposite - a breakdown in emotional connection.
He continued: 'When someone feels compelled to monitor their partner's every move, it's often because they no longer feel secure or emotionally safe, and that sense of closeness is being replaced by control.'
This type of behaviour, which is often driven by fear or unresolved anxiety, is 'usually rooted in a past event or trauma', according to Phil.
He added: 'It may reflect fear of abandonment, betrayal, low self-worth, or the belief that one is not "enough".
'Or it may emerge from trust issues that can't be resolved through logic alone.'
'But when fear starts to override trust, a relationship can shift from romantic to transactional - no longer rooted in intimacy, but in surveillance.'
So if people find themselves in a relationship where their partner wants to always track them - or they always want to track their partner - it is worth considering what's really going on.
Phil explained: 'When one or both people feel the need to track the other constantly, it's rarely about love.
'It's usually a sign of deeper psychological issues that need attention.
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