What Snapchat's New Feature SnapMap Really Means

What Snapchat’s New Feature SnapMap Really Means

Perhaps you are wondering what snapchat’s new feature – snapmap really means. While some might find it as a useful tool, parents and users need to be aware of this feature and some of the reasons for concern.

Have you heard of Snapchat's new Feature - SnapMap

 

Snapchat, an image messaging and multimedia mobile application recently added a new feature called Snapmap. Snapmap uses data such as your location, speed of travel and phone usage to work out where you are, what you are doing, and shares this information with your friends on an interactive map.

The map which you can launch by pinching the snapchat camera home screen, is precise enough to show not only what street you’re on, but also whereabouts on the street you are. Literally it can show users that Amaka is sitting in her living room. Essentially, it taps into the technology we often use and appreciate when we need directions or order a ride.

The Concern

As snapmap shows exactly where you are every time you open the app, there are a number of dangerous scenarios that could take place without the user even posting a snap publicly. This feature means that if you have snapmap enabled (which is the default), your location is immediately broadcast to some or all the people in your snapchat friends list. When it comes to children, location tracking poses a risk to their safety and security. So as a parent what should you do to keep your child safe? Thankfully, in the case of

So as a parent what should you do to keep your child safe? Thankfully, in the case of snapmap, it’s easy to opt out. Within the app itself, you can use “Ghost Mode” so that you’re not visible on the map. To be more thorough, it’s a good idea to check your child’s device location sharing settings, and deny access to snapchat and whatever other apps don’t really need to know where your child is.

As a parent, how do you stay on top of the constant updates, potentially privacy-invading features and hot new apps that emerge every few months? 

It’s a full-time job, even if you’re pretty savvy, it is impossible to know everything. Instead of applying the usual scare tactics on your children, you can talk to them about your concerns, lay down some rules and discuss the risk associated with social media. You can talk about the riskiest elements of the apps – location tracking/sharing personal information, chatting with strangers and why these can lead to trouble. Honest and ongoing communication about how to use social media responsibly can go a long way.

See also [Parents Do Not Understand Social Media]

So remember to disable snapmap, select “Ghost Mode” upon snapchat’s initial walk through. If you’ve already enabled location sharing for snapmap, tap the settings tab in the top right while viewing the map, and select “Ghost Mode” from there.

Scroll to Top