If you care for young people who use social networking apps like Snapchat - or if you use Snapchat yourself – it is essential that you know about this controversial new feature.
Snap Map uses location data as well as logging speed of travel and phone usage to figure out where you are and what you’re up to – and then it discloses this information on an interactive map. The map is launched by pinching the Snapchat camera home screen, and can tell users what street they’re on – anywhere in the world – in real time.
Actress and mother Nadia Sawalha posted a video last week, sharing her concerns over this new Snapchat feature, calling it ‘dangerous.’
Using Snapchat in ‘ghost mode’ - which is fortunately a default setting – will keep users invisible on Snap Maps, but still enables users to track friends who have this mode switched off. There is also an option to only share your location with a selection of friends. Serious safety concerns aside, we can’t help but feel that features like this present just another avenue for ‘cyber bullying’, where one child can so easily be made to feel excluded on purpose.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) has updated its parents’ and carers’ guide to Snapchat since the launch of Snap Maps:
“It is important that young people understand exactly who can see their location on Snap Maps. Allowing all Snapchat friends (some of whom may be strangers) to see this information can present a risk to young people, as they will be able to see their exact location in real time. “Have a conversation with your child about what they do online, who they share their location with, and ways they can keep themselves safe. If they are meeting a friend in a busy place, encourage them to use a private message app or text to share personal information like location.”
“Like many other sites and apps, Snapchat is popular for both adults and children and there is concern that strangers can contact young people directly by sending images or messages or requesting to become ‘friends.’ “Be aware that some young people share their Snapchat username on other social media platforms and this allows other users to request to follow them on Snapchat. Users can also add others using their phone number, therefore sharing a mobile number means they may be added on Snapchat.”
Under-13s are not allowed to use Snapchat, though with no age verification process in place it is entirely possible for younger children to set up a Snapchat profile. Needless to say, nannies caring for children should also be extremely vigilant about their own social media activity, and ensure that their own Snapchat is set to ghost mode if they use the app in their free time.
We would urge all our nannies to visit the Thinkuknow site here https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/ and to make sure that they know which apps their charges are using. Please like and share this post to spread awareness amongst friends, family and your fellow nanny community.