Casper Police: New Snapchat Feature Could Make Children Vulnerable to Predators
The Casper Police Department took to Facebook on Monday to warn the community about possible dangers of a new Snapchat feature which could make children vulnerable to predators, and increase the danger of domestic violence in some situations.
The new Snap Map, launched last week, allows users to share their location with friends in real time, with their present location identified on a map. It's billed as a way for the app's users to find friends.
"We all know that there are instances where children have "friends" on their Snapchat that they have never met before," the Casper Police Department wrote on their Facebook page Monday, saying police are "worried that this new feature could be dangerous if your child has unknowingly friended a predator."
Parents can go into the 'settings' section of the Snap Map menu and select "Ghost Mode" to prevent a child's location from being shared.
Police say the new feature could also pose a problem in domestic violence situations.
"Adults need to be cautious with this feature and make sure if they use this feature they only allow the friends they know to be able to see them," police wrote.