Teens have been taking Ubers and ordering Uber Eats for years — now, they'll finally be able to have their own accounts

• Until now, ride-hailing companies generally did not allow unaccompanied minors on their apps.
• On Wednesday, Uber announced that teens will be able to create their own accounts.

American teens are already taking Ubers to school and soccer practice, but now parents will have more oversight of their kids' activity.

Until now, ride-hailing companies generally did not allow unaccompanied minors on their apps. But that didn't stop teens from using them. Other apps like HopSkipDrive and Zum built their businesses around this demand, offering safe transportation services for kids.

Now Uber has officially hopped on the bandwagon.

On Wednesday, the company announced several changes to its services at Go-Get, its annual product showcase. One major new feature, accounts for teens, allows children between 13 and 17 to create their own accounts on Uber. These accounts are linked to their family's profile so a parent or guardian can monitor their trips and take-out orders.

"It is all about helping you manage the craziness that encompasses family life in 2023," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a speech to the audience. "It has some incredible safety features embedded in it from the booking experience all the way to the end of the trip so that you as a parent can have peace of mind."

When a teen requests a ride, the app matches them with a highly-rated driver, and parents can track their location throughout the trip. Drivers must enter a PIN verification when they pick up the teen before the trip can start and are not allowed to change the trip destination. Only the teen can make changes to their trip. Safety features like audio recording and an in-app emergency button cannot be turned off for these rides.

"There are very limited options for the teen," Camiel Irving, general manager for Uber Rides in the US and Canada, told Insider. "They can take an UberX or an Uber Electric, if they're green, that's it. There's no other features, there's no advertising. It's a very paired down, simple version of the app."

Teens are also not allowed to take trips outside of the area where they live. "A teen is only able to take trips right in their city," Irving said. "So if you live in Dallas, you cannot order a trip to Houston for the weekend on your teen account."

Teen accounts on Uber will be available in some US and Canadian cities beginning on May 22.