Look Out Parents, 'Snap Maps' Feature Shows Where Your Kids Are
June 28, 2017
'Snap Maps' App Feature Is Putting Kids At Risk
Parenting is no easy task. And the Digital Age introduces all new risks, such as the new 'Snap Maps' feature on the popular app SnapChat.
SnapChat is a social app that's especially popular with the younger generation. But it's parents and grandparents worst nightmare!
Part of what makes the app so appealing to kids (and so scary to adults) is that sent pictures and messages (called 'Snaps') generally disappear within seconds. This encourages some users to share inappropriate content without leaving a trace.
RELATED: 9 Most Dangerous Apps For Kids
Most parents have figured out the importance of monitoring children's online activity. But how do you track a message that essentially self-destructs, just like in the spy shows?
Well, now there's even more to worry about on SnapChat. The app recently rolled out a new featured called 'Snap Maps.' Using basic location tracking, the app puts the user's emoji onto a map.
In other words, if your kid uses SnapChat, every time they send out a Snap, Snap Maps shows exactly where your kid is located, right down to the street!
“People can see where you are,” WPTV internet security expert Alan Crowetz explains. “It's a stalker's delight. A pedophile would be all over something like this.”
RELATED: Popular Messaging App Most Likely Led A 13-Year-Old Right To Her Murderer
The good news is that the Snap Maps feature is optional. However, Alan Crowetz warns that lots of people don't know this update was rolled out or what it does. And it must be manually turned off.
What To Do
Naturally, the safest course of action is to keep your kids off of SnapChat. But if, for whatever reason, that's not an option, the Snap Maps feature can and should be turned off. Here's how:
- Open SnapChat and go into the Snap Map
- Tap the ⚙️ button in the top-right corner of the Map screen
- Select 'Ghost Mode' to completely hide your location
[/slide]
Other 'Snap Maps' Settings
Credit: SnapChat SupportThere are two other options under the Snap Map location settings: My Friends and Select Friends.
The 'My Friends' setting shows a user's location to all of their mutual SnapChat friends, including any new friends they make in the future. The warning here is that kids using SnapChat may have befriended people they don't actually know -- people who could be pretending to be someone they are not.
The 'Select Friends' option allows the user to choose which friends can see their location. So, if using this setting, make sure your child only selects trusted friends. If you and your child don't both know and trust the person in the real world, then they should not have access to your child's location.
Stay Up-To-Date
The Snap Maps feature is a perfect reminder that as parents, it's our responsibility to stay educated on what's out there. And we should always keep an open dialogue going with our children on how they should and shouldn't be using technology.
“Have that talk with your children,” Alex says. “A lot of parents don't know what there is out there, and what they should be concerned about. Education is number one.”
RELATED: Mom Warns Of Available ‘Sex Mod’ For Popular Kid’s Video Game
It's up to us to teach our kids how to behave wisely, both on and offline. If you don't know how an app or device works, do some research. You could even ask your kid to show you. And if an app makes you uncomfortable, then it's probably best to keep your kid off of it. It might be an unpopular decision, but it could also be the one that keeps your kid safe!
WATCH: Security Experts Worried Over New 'Snap Maps' Feature
Please be sure to share this story with other parents and grandparents so they can make sure the kids they love are protected.
h/t: For Every Mom
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: What Looks Like Safe Kid’s Cartoons Online Can Be Hiding A Dark Secret
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Past Stories
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video
Riley Clemmons Riley Clemmons - All Is Well
Mark Schultz 'Different Kind of Christmas' - Live From Mark Schultz
CCM Magazine Brynn Elliot's Chilling 'Silent Night' Rendition
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.