“Empty nesters” are getting real about what it’s like having their adult children leave home for university – and 83% report feeling extreme grief, according to new research by Unite Students.

The feelings are strong, and they are valid. After almost two decades of raising your child, knowing their whereabouts (most, if not all, of the time), you are suddenly left with an empty bedroom and no end of worries about how they’re getting on – and most crucially, whether they’re keeping safe.

Calls and texts might go unanswered as they dive headfirst into the social fest that is Freshers week. Then the weeks turn into months, with scattered catch-ups and home visits here and there, and you realise this is the new normal.

Not wanting to detach completely, two-thirds (67%) of parents admit to using an app to track their child’s location once they leave for university, according to Unite Students’ 2025 Empty Nester Survey.

Interestingly, dads are leading the charge here – the survey found 71% of fathers are turning to tracking apps to keep a watchful eye from afar, compared to 59% of mums.

Steven, a dad of two, is one of them. He said his whole family is on family location safety app Life360, including his daughter, who is now at university.

The family have been tracking each others’ whereabouts for a while – since their daughter “first started going out in town, just so we could know where she was”.

“She’s fine with it, she’s not bothered. It’s good for us, ’cause we can see where she is, and we can see what time she gets back to halls. At least we know she got home after a night out and is safe,” he said.

Some argue this infringes on their privacy, however. Recent empty nester, Angharad, who has two........

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