Police issue child safety warning over Snapchat maps update that reveals users' locations

By Matthew Field

Police forces have raised child safety concerns about a new Snapchat feature that reveals users' locations amid fears it could be used for stalking.

Parents have been warned to turn off "Snap Maps" on their children's phones after Snapchat, which is wildly popular among teenagers, introduced the location-sharing mode this week.

The feature displays a map of nearby friends, showing their latest location gathered using a smartphone's GPS sensor. Users of the app can also search for locations such as individual schools, with the app displaying public photos and videos sent by students.

While the feature is designed to help friends meet up or attend events together it has raised fears that it could be abused. Preston Police said on its Facebook page: "Obviously this may cause concern for certain users, particularly those who have young children who use the app."

It said users could change the settings to a private mode that does not share their location with anyone.

A spokesperson for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said: "It’s worrying that Snapchat is allowing under 18s to broadcast their location on the app where it can potentially be accessed by everyone in their contact lists.

"With public accounts, this will include those who are not known to the user. This highlights why it’s vital children are automatically offered safer accounts on social media to ensure they are protected from unnecessary risks."

Preston Police
Good afternoon everyone! For all the snapchat users on here, in the last few days they have released a new update which connects to your GPS, and automatically (unless activated ghost mode) shows where you are on a map to anyone who is on your friends list and posts can possibly seen publically depending on your settings!! As you can see from the picture, here is my character currently in the police station. (I don't usually have it in police uniform, I've just changed it for the purposes of this post!) Obviously this may cause concern for certain users, particularly those who have young children who use the app. To change the settings, pinch the screen when the app is open and this will load the map. When you do it for the first time it should ask you if you want to activate ghost mode. If it doesn't, click on the icon in the top right hand corner, where you will be able to tick a box putting ghost mode on. For other information for online safety click on this link: http://socsi.in/63zgQ Cheers,
PCSO Jack

The UK Safer Internet Centre said: "It is important to be careful about who you share your location with, as it can allow people to build up a picture of where you live, go to school and spend your time.

"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."

Parents can turn the feature off on children's phones by setting the app to "ghost mode".

“The safety of our community is very important to us and we want to make sure that all Snapchatters, parents and educators have accurate information about how the Snap Map works," said a spokesperson from the company.

"With Snap Map, location-sharing is off by default for all users and is completely optional. Snapchatters can choose exactly who they want to share their location with, if at all, and can change that setting at any time. It’s also not possible to share your location with someone who isn’t already your friend on Snapchat, and the majority of interactions on Snapchat take place between close friends.”

How to turn on ghost mode

To hide your location from friends, you can easily turn on ghost mode in Snap Map. To do this, pinch the screen when you are in selfie mode to bring up Snap Map. Then, click the settings icon in the top right hand corner and set the phone to "ghost mode". Then Snapchat will stop sharing your location.