WARNING: Snapchat's New Feature - Whoever Thought This Was a Good Idea is Nuts!

Snapchat's latest update has a new feature that uses your GPS location service to show your friends where you are. You can see where they are too. Sounds fun, right? From what I have read, it can zoom in to the actual building you are in. How cool is that?

The new feature is called SnapMap and it's extremely dangerous if your kids are friends with anyone they don't know in real life. Heck, it's dangerous for you if YOU are friends with people you don't know in real life. One goal for a lot of social media users is to have tons of "friends". Another is sharing every detail of our lives. This app exacerbates the problem of TMI (Too much information) in that now these strangers have photos AND your location at their fingertips with little more than a swipe of their finger. If they have ill intentions, SnapMap makes it too easy for a predator. This can be a problem adults who think it can't happen to them, but it is even more worrisome when it concerns our kids.

While this may seem to be a fun feature on the surface, some of our kids have hundreds or even thousands of followers on apps like snapchat. How many of those followers are pedophiles? Sex-traffickers? or something else equally deviant? If you have the app, check your settings. Check your children's phones. Talk to your kids about online safety.... NOW...TODAY!

Here is a link from one of our local news sharing sites with more information regarding the update and instructions on disabling the feature using the "Ghost Mode" setting.

http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/mcso-warns-of-new-threat-to-children/

FYI: For me, I just turned of location services for the app. I know all of my snapchat friends but the creeper factor was too much for me. If I want my friends and family to know where I am, I will tell them. ;)

Loki says, "Peace out and stay safe!"

Thanks for reading this. I hope it's not too long but I felt the need to get this information out there.