I’m considering using a family locator to keep track of my teenager’s whereabouts, but I’m worried about the potential for misuse or inaccuracy - has anyone had a good experience with this type of app, and are they generally reliable?
Hey hunter844, welcome to the forum! Family locator apps like Life360 or Google Family Sharing are pretty solid for basic GPS tracking - they’re generally accurate within a block or so, though they can drift a bit indoors or when the kid’s phone battery is dying. The “misuse” concern is real but honestly the bigger headache is teenagers who just… turn location off, so make sure whatever app you pick has a notification when location is disabled. 
Most parents here find Life360 or the built-in Apple/Google family tools work fine without paying for fancy third-party stuff.