Thank you for your interest in this lesson. However, you do not have access with your current AISACT subscription. If your school is wanting to upgrade their individual subscription to access the full curriculum, please email info@respectcollective.com.au

My Location, My Choice: When sharing becomes monitoring

This lesson explores coercive control and the use of location sharing apps in relationships. 

Learning intentions:

  • Understand how coercive control often starts subtly and escalates gradually
  • Identify key elements of a healthy relationship
  • Recognise signs of disrespect, imbalance, or harm in relationships

Digital Educator: Joe

  • 12-30 learners

    Class size

  • 10+

    Year Level

  • 45-60 minutes

    Course duration

  • Nil

    Student Handouts

    Preparing for the lesson

    Information
    Resources
    ACHPE Objectives
    UNESCO Objectives
    Safety & Wellbeing
    Sequence
    Extension
    In this My Location, My Choice lesson, students explore coercive control in dating relationships. It highlights how language of love and concern can be used to justify monitoring, how isolation from support systems is systematically introduced, and how emotional manipulation (like love bombing, blame shifting, and insincere apologies) is used to maintain control.

    Students will consider the difference between safety/convenience and monitoring, trust and control, and reflect on how technology can be used as a tool of coercion, particularly through constant messaging or location sharing apps. They will also explore support services and help-seeking options.

    While this lesson focuses specifically on dating relationships and location tracking (due to time constraints), the same patterns and behaviours can apply across many relationship types and contexts, including within families. This can be included in discussions and feedback. More information on location sharing within families is provided in the Facilitator Guide.

    This learning is critical in reshaping social norms. Recent Australian research shows that young people are less likely to perceive certain tech-based coercive behaviours as problematic due to the normalisation of their use (eSafety Commissioner, 2025), revealing an urgent need to challenge assumptions about digital intimacy and promote healthy relationship boundaries.

    Student Printouts

    There are no student printouts for this lesson.

    Additional Student Resources

    AC9HP10P07: Examine how strategies, such as communicating choices, seeking, giving and denying consent, and expressing opinions and needs can support the development of respectful relationships, including sexual relationships. 
    • Describing strategies that enhance the safety and wellbeing of sexual partners, such as communicating feelings of each party, respecting boundaries and choices, gaining affirmative consent, assertive communication and respecting individuals’ rights.  
    • Refining strategies to communicate clearly and respectfully their choices, needs and opinions in a range of relationship scenarios, such as peer group, family or work situations.
    Key Concept 1: Relationships
    1.2 Friendship, Love and Romantic Relationships. 
    Key Idea: Romantic relationships can be strongly affected by inequality and differences in power.

    Key Concept 4: Violence and Staying Safe
    4.1 Violence.
    Key idea: Intimate partner violence is wrong and it is important to seek support if witnessing it.

    4.2 Consent, Privacy and Bodily Integrity.
    • Key idea: Consent is critical for healthy, pleasurable and consensual sexual behaviour with a partner.
    • Key idea: It is important to be aware of factors that can impact the ability to acknowledge or give consent.


    Key Concept 5: Skills for Health and Wellbeing
    5.3 Communication, Refusal and Negotiation Skills. 
    • Key idea: Effective communication is key to expressing personal needs and sexual limits.
    • Some students may have personal experience with content covered in this lesson, so allow students to opt out or pass.
    • Use inclusive language that doesn't assume family structures or relationship types. Relationship abuse stems from power imbalances and affects all types of couples, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Examples of inclusive language include parents and caregivers, partners, friends.
    • Avoid victim-blaming language or suggestions that victims could have "done something differently". Examples of statements to avoid are: “What should they have done to stop this?” or “Why didn’t they just tell someone” or “They could have just turned their phone off”. 
    • Watch for gender-based assumptions during discussions and address any outdated stereotypes like "men should protect women". 
    Because of the widespread use and normalisation of location sharing, it is possible that students will struggle with the difference between control and care especially in families. The Venn Diagram below explores location sharing in families in more detail and can be a useful discussion tool or activity for students. The overlap of the two circles represents those behaviours that could be healthy or unhealthy depending on:
    Consent:     Is the young person genuinely agreeing, or are they feeling pressured?
    Context: Are there ongoing conversations about why and when location is shared?
    Control: Can the young person turn off sharing when appropriate, or is it mandatory to have on?
    Communication: Is tracking replacing trust-based conversations?
    Understanding: Does the young person understand how the technology works and who can access their data?

     You may wish to:
    • Hand out a completed copy of the Venn Diagram and lead a student discussion on why different behaviours are healthy, unhealthy, or context-dependent.
    • Take one or two examples from each area of the Venn Diagram and ask students to discuss why these are healthy, unhealthy, or context-dependent.
    • Hand out the blank Venn Diagram worksheet at the end of this guide and have students work in small groups to complete the different areas. Follow this with a large group discussion.
    Ideally, you will have scope to deliver all of the lessons in your program. However we understand that many schools have limited capacity to do so. Should you find yourself having to implement part of this program, we have provided a suggested sequence of lessons within the broader skills and knowledge categories of relationship, consent, gender, and health & legal literacy. We recommend delivering at least one lesson from each category.

    1. Group Agreements & Pod Mapping should be the first lesson as per best practice.
    2. Sex, Ethics & Alcohol: Can They Mix? is better delivered later in the program when students are more familiar with the Respect Collective curriculum.
    Terms & Conditions of use

    Stay Connected

    • info@respectcollective.com.au
    Copyright © 2026

    Respect Collective Pty Ltd acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of the lands and waters where we live, work, and meet. We pay our respects to elders past and present. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.