Last week the popular app SnapChat, already considered dangerous for kids because pictures and messages called “Snaps” disappear in just a few seconds, making it notoriously difficult for parents to monitor, released a new feature that makes it even more risky for your kids to use— “Snap Maps.”
Snap Maps is just your basic “location tracking” feature, BUT with a twist—it makes your emoji appear in your exact location on a map when you send a Snap. So basically, anyone who wants to can find you if they want to. And there are plenty of people on SnapChat that you DON’T want to have your kids’ exact location.
If your kids DO use SnapChat, they don’t HAVE to turn SnapMaps on, and it’s HIGHLY recommended for their safety that they do NOT.
The child safety advocation group ChildNet wrote a blog post about the new feature, saying, “Given how specific this new feature is on Snapchat – giving your location to a precise pinpoint on a map – we would encourage users not to share their location, especially with people they don’t know in person.”
SnapChat makes the feature optional, but if you turn it off, it’s now called “GhostMode.” You can also choose whether to show your location to a select group of friends or to all your connections, but again, since kids using SnapChat may have befriended people claiming to be someone they aren’t, I’d strongly advise using GhostMode ONLY.
