Snapchat warning issued to parents over ‘location’ feature children use on the app
Any parent out there will know it can be hard sometimes to keep track of everything your kids are doing on their phones.
From keeping up with the latest text lingo, the newest social media crazes and even the way they use their apps - it's clear many parents can be totally clueless about what their children get up to when they're not watching.
So, to help raise some awareness on the matter, one woman has issued a serious Snapchat warning to parents and caregivers over the app's 'location' feature.
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Now, in case you're not familiar with the popular social media platform, Snapchat is mostly used for creating multimedia messages called 'Snaps' to other users.
These 'Snaps' can consist of a photo or a short video, and can be edited to include filters and effects, text captions, and drawings.
However, another feature of the app is 'Snap Map' which uses your phone's location to locate others on a virtual map that is visible to other Snapchat users.
It's an opt-in feature, meaning that users are required to choose who can see their location on the map e.g. only choosing selected friends and family.
The privacy options include; My friends, Only me ('Ghost Mode'), or Selected friends.
Users can then see where their contacts are located and vice versa.
They can also view Snaps and stories from other Snapchat users, including those posted at a specific event or location.
One woman has now shared a warning on the feature, urging other parents to closely monitor how their kids are using the app.
Writing on the FAMILY LOWDOWN TIPS & IDEAS group on Facebook, which currently boasts 1.2 million members, the 'serious post' urged 'parents with teenagers' to read carefully.
It begins: "Kids are putting their Snapchat location on & using the exact location setting to 'link up'.
"Meaning that there’s kids with their precise location on Snapchat & using it to locate others in any area. Meeting people they don’t know.
"Unfortunately we all know that not only kids will be using this feature & I fear for what might happen if parents are unaware. Predators are now able more than ever to gain access to children."
The woman continued: "If there are any secondary school teachers/youth mentors or anyone involved with teens amongst us maybe a letter/email could be sent out to parents to make them aware of what’s going on."
She then urged parents to check their children's Snapchat accounts and make sure their locations were turned off.
"You can use apps like 'family link' to keep an eye on their phones and make sure appropriate things are being accessed," she added.
"I’m sure most people know but as we get older we know less of what young kids do and how apps like Snapchat are progressing."
A Snapchat spokesperson told Tyla: "We want Snapchatters to have a safe and positive experience, and by design, location sharing on Snap Map is switched off by default. If Snapchatters choose to share their location, they are only visible to their friends, and they are not able to share their location with strangers.
"We then regularly remind them of their choice to make sure they are still comfortable with sharing their location. We also provide extra safety features for 13-17 year olds, including showing a pop-up warning if they are contacted by someone they don’t know."
Topics: Parenting, Social Media, Technology, iPhone, Advice, Life
Rhiannon Ingle