Parents are being warned about a new Snapchat update that lets users to see exactly where someone is located, including their street and house number.

The Snap Map update, which even allows a user to see how long it will take them to get to another user’s location, has sparked safety concerns for children.

What is the new Snapchat location update?

While Snapchat users have always been able to see an approximate location of a user, this is the first time a precise location has been available. And as part of a new paid subscription, users will also be able share where they have been (or their ‘Ghost Trail’) with friends and followers.

Users will be able to share their live location and friends will just need to select ‘More’ to get map directions to the exact location of the user.

What’s the concern with the new Snapchat update?

The biggest concern is that unsuspecting children will potentially be targeted or stalked using the location feature.

Cybersafety consultants Safe On Social say the changes are ‘greatly concerning’. The company says recent locations may be shown to friends, ‘literally letting them know where a child is sleeping’.

“Oh, and those blue dots on the map are a heat map and yes I have just been shown by clicking on it and zooming in the precise location of a little boy, well under the age of 13 years, dancing less than 5kms from my home and I can see his exact address. Clearly, it was filmed by a parent in their bedroom,” the organisation explained in a social media post.

“It is 2022 as far as I am concerned parents no longer have the excuse, ‘I don’t use Snapchat’. You need to get your head around it right now. Not to stop your kids from using it, but to teach them how to use it better, so you know what to do if something goes wrong.”

Child Wise Director of Operations & Safeguarding Technology Harriet Sheppard told Mouths of Mums the feature is ‘alarming’.

“It can show others where you are and where you have been, so patterns can be obtain, where you frequent most, where and when someone could find you based on past behaviours,” she explained. “If that person is a young child or even a vulnerable person this can be extremely concerning.”

Snapchat has justified the new feature claiming it can be used to check that family or friends have made it home safely. The company also says that the feature has to be actively turned on.

“To share location on the Snap Map, Snapchatters must actively change their settings – and then it will only be visible to friends on the app,” Snapchat said in a statement.

“Ghost Trails doesn’t share any new location data that Snapchatters don’t choose to share with friends on their Snap Map.”

How to make sure your kids’ location is private on Snapchat

If your child uses Snapchat and you’re concerned other users may be able to see their current or past locations, here’s what you need to know.

Make sure Ghost Mode is enable in the app’s settings. Once enabled your child’s friends on Snapchat won’t be able to see their location and their Ghost Trail is cleared.

Also, go into your phone settings, into apps and Snapchat and turn off ‘Precise Location’.

Do your kids use Snapchat? Do you make sure you understand apps before letting your kids join them? Join the discussion in the comments below.