Snapchat “Snap Maps” Could be Dangerous to Your Children

(Paulding County, GA) Although Snapchat should be discouraged for anyone under the age of 18, many young people have Snapchat on their smart phones. Recently, Snapchat updated its application to include “Snap Maps”. If a Snapchat user does NOT have the app set to appear in “Ghost Mode”, all of the users friends can see the their location in real time. So if a child happens to add a potential predator, bully, or other undesirable person to their friends list, they can be easily located.
In order to see if this was just another internet hoax, we decided to test how accurate the location services were in the Snapchat app. Sergeant Lenny Carr of the Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Division tested the application and was able to locate himself within a few feet of his phone while at his office.
The emphasis on potential danger is real. So parents, if you are going to allow your children to use this potentially dangerous app, please ensure that it is used in “Ghost Mode”. For more information you can visit the Snapchat safety center online at: https://www.snapchat.com/safety . There are also several YouTube videos that explain Snapchat and “Snap Maps”. Please take the time to educate yourself and keep your children safe while they are on their internet devices.
If you have any questions about how to keep your children safe in the digital world we live in, please call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Division at (770) 445-6105