Uber adds live video streaming so parents can watch their kids rides

Uber will now let parents remotely watch children's rides through their drivers' smartphones. Announced on Tuesday, the rideshare service has added a live video streaming feature to teen accounts, allowing their guardians to monitor them on their trips.

To use this new feature, the Uber driver must first have enabled live video. If they've done so and someone with an Uber teen account begins a trip, the adult linked to the account will receive a push notification alerting them that live video of the ride is available. The parent simply needs to tap the notification, and they'll be treated to a live feed from the front-facing camera on the driver's phone. Both the teen and the driver will receive notifications letting them know a parent is watching, and the stream will automatically end at the conclusion of the trip. 

Of course, this feature doesn't guarantee that anxious parents will be able to see their child in the Uber. Depending upon how the driver's phone is positioned, they may only get a view of the car's ceiling. However, considering that phone mounts are extremely common amongst Uber drivers, there's a good chance that at the very least they'll see the driver. Uber even suggests that drivers use a phone mount if they don't have app integration in the car itself.

The new feature launched in select U.S. regions on Tuesday, with rollout to continue across the country in the following weeks.

"Live video is the latest way we're updating teen accounts to meet the needs of families and build on existing safety features like live trip tracking, PIN verification, and audio recording," Uber's director of product management Ashu Manohar wrote in the announcement. "As live video expands nationwide over the coming weeks, we'll continue listening to feedback and improving the experience to help families stay connected when they’re on the go."

Interestingly, while adults linked to a child's account can watch the live video stream while their Uber trip is active, it will become inaccessible once the ride has concluded. Uber will apparently still keep the footage, stating that it will be reviewed if a safety incident is reported, but the encrypted video will not be viewable by the child, adult, or driver.

Last year, Uber admitted that it routinely approved people convicted of violent felonies to be drivers, provided the convictions were over seven years ago. While potential drivers convicted of murder, kidnapping, or sexual assault were subject to a blanket ban, other crimes such as assault and child abuse were permitted. According to Uber, this was an effort at "striking the right balance" between keeping riders safe and allowing felons to move on with their lives. 

A New York Times investigation also found that Uber had received reports of sexual abuse or misconduct every eight minutes between 2017 to 2022. In response, Uber stated that 75 percent of these reports were "less serious." A Phoenix court subsequently found Uber partially liable for rape and violence its drivers committed against passengers. 

Uber has since expanded its safety measures, and now runs background checks on the past 99 years of a driver's life rather than just seven.