How to turn on Snap Map Ghost Mode and protect your kids from grooming, stalking and cyber-bullying
PARENTS have been urged to lock down their kids' Snapchat accounts immediately or risk exposing them to "grooming, stalking and bullying".
Child safety experts have issued an urgent warning about Snap Map, a controversial new feature of the photo app which plots users' exact location on a map so "friends" can see where they are.
It is feared that predators or bullies could trick kids into befriending them through the app and then use the Map feature to discover their whereabouts.
The NSPCC has called on concerned parents to make a simple change to their kids' Snapchat settings which will switch on "Ghost Mode" and hide their location from everyone.
You can also choose to ensure only "friends" can track your movements, but the charity said this did not guarantee safety.
Rose Bray, senior project manager, said: “Even limiting Snap Map to the ‘friends only’ setting is risky if those contacts include people you don’t know.
“This highlights why it’s vital Government forces social networks to offer Safe Accounts to under 18s, with the highest privacy settings and location settings locked off.
“Young people can hide their location using Ghost Mode, which can be switched on from the Snap Map screen."
How to turn on Snap Map Ghost Mode
When you first load up Snap Map, you have the option of switching on Ghost Mode.
You will be asked: "Who can see my location."
Just click "only me: Ghost Mode" to stop Snapchat revealing your kids' locations.
If your children have already loaded up Snap Map, just press the cog icon within the app to open up settings.
Click the "see my location" option and then switch on Ghost Mode.
You will also have the option at both stages to allow only friends to see location.
However, the NSPCC said this option did not guarantee safety.
The NSPCC called on the government to force social network to offer limited "safe accounts" to people aged under 18, which would make all apps switched off their location settings by default.
The Snap Map feature can detect someone's location so accurately that it reveals what part of a building they are in.
It can also tell whether users are listening to music or driving a car.
MOST READ IN TECH AND SCIENCE
Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha recently blasted the “creepy feature” whilst a number of schools wrote to parents and warned them about the feature.
And these love rats have all been caught out by the Snapchat update.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368