25/07/2022
๐ฒWe're urging parents and carers of young or vulnerable people to talk to them about staying safe online after recent software updates.
As technology and digital platforms advance, we work alongside partners to ensure that police, parents and carers stay ahead of anyone looking to use channels such as social media apps to exploit those more vulnerable in our communities.
The warning comes after an updated feature to Snap Maps within the popular app โSnapchatโ which now allows the exact location of a Snapchat user to be seen in live time and tracked over a period of time via a virtual map.
If the location services on the device being used are turned on, users can view each otherโs precise location in live time on a map, including road names and house numbers in some instances and then continue to track the use for several hours.
While this can be used to allow friends and family to know where a person is for safety, we are aware many users, in particular young or vulnerable people, may have โfriendsโ on Snapchat that they have never met before and only know online.
We need to recognise that young people especially spend a significant amount of their time online and need the right tools to stay safe while doing this.
Part of our role is to work with young people and guardians to help educate them about the potential dangers lurking online. The good news is that there are simple steps you can take to stop these predators getting the access they want. Think about installing age restrictions on content, location services and apps on phones and tablets.
We also advise that location and privacy settings are double checked and to disable location settings when required.
It is vital that parents and carers work with police and take an active role in their childโs online presence.
Parents should be checking who their children are friends with online, who they follow, who follows them and make sure they know not to accept requests from strangers. You can also make sure they have strong privacy settings in place so strangers canโt see their content or engage with them without permission.
๐ปFor help and support as a parent visit our website or you can report using the โTell Us Somethingโ page on our website.