Youthority

Who are you and what is Youthority?

I’m Laura Chappell, founder of Youthority. I’ve spent more than 25 years working with young people and families as a parenting coach, youth mentor and founder of Teen Revolution. Youthority helps families raise confident, capable young people by giving them practical ways to build trust, independence and real-world safety skills.

The product at the centre of that mission is Kon-X, a safety app for adolescents and young adults aged 10 to 24. It gives young people control over when they share their location, who they share it with and when they ask for help. Caregivers get reassurance through a trusted circle, with location sharing led by the young person.

What did you see that other safety apps were missing?

I kept seeing families caught between two uncomfortable choices. Parents wanted peace of mind and young people wanted room to grow. Most safety products answered that tension with constant tracking. From my work with teenagers, I knew surveillance could create more friction and still leave a young person unprepared when something genuinely went wrong.

Young people need tools that help them assess risk, make decisions and reach out quickly. They also need to feel trusted. That insight became the foundation for Youthority and shaped every part of Kon-X.

How did that insight become Kon-X?

We built Kon-X around consent, trusted relationships and simple actions. A young person can send a help alert with their live location, trigger a loud alert, share their location for a chosen period or ask Kai for private guidance with safety guardrails. Only approved contacts can join a circle.

Youthority also provides resources for caregivers, because technology works best when families have better conversations about boundaries, responsibility and independence.

Where is Youthority today?

Youthority is live and Kon-X launched in 2026 following a beta period and a broader rebrand. The app now has a free plan for a trusted group of up to six people, with paid options for people who want more groups and flexibility.

For me, getting here has meant turning decades of experience into something families can use in real moments. The goal remains very human: help young people feel capable and help the adults around them feel confident enough to let that capability grow.