For those of us with kids who are old enough to drive, letting them take the wheel of a Tesla already offers a certain peace of mind. Now, with the introduction of parental controls, that reassurance is taken to a whole new level.

Manny Becerra in Unsplash

2024.26.3.1 Release Notes

In the 2024.26.3.1 release, Tesla has rolled out several exciting new features, including:

  • YouTube and Amazon Music: You can now enjoy these streaming services directly in your Tesla.
  • Weather forecast and air quality: The vehicle’s status bar now displays local weather conditions and temperature. If air quality is poor, an AQI symbol along with the index value will appear. Tapping the temperature on the screen provides detailed local weather forecasts, including daily highs and lows, as well as rain probability (Premium Connectivity required).
  • Scheduled Charging and Pre-Conditioning: From the menu or Tesla mobile app, you can now schedule charging or preconditioning. You can choose specific locations, set one-time or recurring schedules, and manage when charging begins and ends.
  • Navigate to Sub-Destinations: When entering a navigation destination, you can now select sub-destinations for more detailed route guidance.

But the highlight of this update—and the focus of this article—is Tesla’s new Parental Control feature.

Why does allowing your kids to drive a Tesla bring a certain peace of mind?

Tesla vehicles are not only among the safest in the world, but they also offer advanced software features that can significantly ease a parent’s worries when their children are behind the wheel:

  • Through the app, you can monitor their location in real time, always knowing where they are.
  • If they’ve entered a destination into the navigation system, you can track their estimated arrival time and how far they have left to travel.
  • You can check their speed at any moment.
  • With premium connectivity, once the vehicle is parked, you can even access the cameras to see exactly where it’s located.

While some may view this as an invasion of privacy, many parents find great peace of mind in having access to this information.

How does Tesla’s Parental Control work?

Parental Control in a Tesla can now be activated using a PIN, allowing you to set a maximum speed limit and restrict acceleration to chill mode. Essential safety features like speed limit warnings, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision warnings are also automatically enabled.

Additionally, a Night Curfew can be set, sending notifications to your Tesla app if the vehicle is driven past the designated curfew time.

Tesla provides step-by-step instructions for activating Parental Controls both in the mobile app and within the vehicle by navigating to Controls > Safety > Parental Controls. However, Tesla does not indicate in its release notes that it is important to note that only the ‘master’ user of the vehicle can activate this option.

One limitation of this feature is that it does not distinguish between different drivers; any driver will need to enter the PIN to deactivate Parental Control.

Parental control view from the mobile app. The first two screens are those seen by a ‘master’ user of the vehicle. The third screen shows how it would be viewed by a driver who does not have full control of the vehicle.
Parental control view from the vehicle screen, my son took the picture, he was phoning me to please turn it off because he didn’t want to have to drive in ‘chill mode’ 😂

To conclude…

All jokes aside, I’m not sure if I’ll ever need to use this feature beyond testing it. At the moment, I don’t see the need to limit speed since they’ve shown they can drive responsibly.

From a UX point of view, these updates allow users to tailor their car to their individual preferences, such as adjusting driving modes, entertainment settings, or climate preferences. This creates a more comfortable and satisfying driving experience.

Also, functionalities such as this parental control seem to be based on user feedback, which makes owners feel heard and valued.

Tesla’s Parental Control: a new level of peace of mind for parents was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.