Strava

What is Strava?

Strava is a fitness and activity tracking app that records running, cycling, swimming and other activities via GPS. It logs routes, pace, distance and time — and includes social features such as following friends, sharing activities, giving “kudos” (likes), commenting, joining clubs and competing on segments (local leaderboards). The app is very popular among sporty teenagers, especially runners and cyclists, and connects to wearables like Garmin and Apple Watch.

Age limit: 13 years (16 in some jurisdictions under GDPR).

Why do kids like it?

• Tracking personal records. Strava makes it easy to follow their own progress — kids can see how they improve their times, distances and pace over time.
• Segments and leaderboards. The competitive element is motivating. Kids can compete against others on specific stretches and see where they rank.
• Sharing achievements with friends. After a workout, they can share their route, stats and sense of accomplishment with their friends.
• Training for teams and school. Many use Strava to log training for sports teams, school athletics or personal fitness goals.
• Clubs and community. Running and cycling clubs provide a sense of belonging and shared motivation.
• Motivation and goals. The app sets up weekly and monthly goals that keep motivation high.
• Wearable integration. Connecting to Garmin, Apple Watch, Polar and other devices provides a seamless training experience.

What are the real risks?

• GPS routes reveal exactly where they run and cycle. The start and end point of an activity often shows their home address or school location — directly on a map.
• The activity map shows patterns. If your child runs the same route at the same time every day, their movements become predictable to anyone viewing their profile.
• Profiles are public by default. Activities are visible to everyone on the internet unless settings are changed. Anyone can see where your child trains.
• Segments reveal location. When your child competes on segments, their activity appears on public leaderboards tied to specific geographic stretches.
• The Flyby feature shows who was nearby. Strava can show other users who were in the same place at the same time during an activity — this gives strangers the ability to find your child.
• Clubs can be public. Club membership can reveal training habits, location and social connections.
• Photos on activities can reveal locations. If your child adds photos to their activities, these can show recognisable places like home, school or training facilities.
• Leaderboards create visibility. Even with a partially hidden profile, segment performances can make your child visible to other users in the area.

Settings to check

1. Privacy zones (CRITICAL): Settings → Privacy → Privacy Zones → Add zones around home and school. This hides the start and end points of activities within a chosen radius. Use at least 500 metres, preferably more.
2. Default activity visibility: Settings → Privacy → Default Visibility → Set to “Followers” or “Only You”. This ensures new activities are not public by default.
3. Disable Flyby: Settings → Privacy → Flyby → Select “No One”. This prevents others from seeing that your child was nearby during an activity.
4. Profile visibility: Settings → Privacy → Profile Page → Set to “Followers”. This limits who can see the activity overview.
5. Review followers: Regularly check who follows your child. Remove unknown followers and enable approval for new follow requests.
6. Hide from leaderboards: Settings → Privacy → Leaderboards → Choose to hide from segment leaderboards if desired.
7. Map visibility on activities: Consider hiding the map on individual activities, especially those near home or school.
8. Check privacy zone radius: The default radius may be too small. Increase to at least 500–1000 metres for real protection.

How to talk about it

“Did you know your running routes show up as maps that anyone can see? Let’s set up privacy zones around your home and school so no one can see where you live.”

“Who follows you on Strava? Do you know all of them? Let’s go through the list together.”

“It’s great that you track your training, but think about how your route tells others exactly where you are at certain times. What do you think about that?”

Last reviewed: March 2026