Parents believe new Snapchat feature puts kids in danger

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — There's a new feature on the popular app Snapchat that has some parents worried.

Young teens may be sharing their location without parents ever knowing.

The "Snap Map" allows anyone on a child's friend list to see exactly where they are in real time.

"I thought it was a little weird because I don't need all my friends knowing where I am," Snapchat user Kate Holland said.

Channel 2's Justin Wilfon showed the feature to parents.

"That's dangerous in my opinion. Really dangerous," parent David Cleope said.

Social media experts said it's dangerous because friends on the app aren't always real friends.

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"They're friends on your list, but they may or may not be friends in the real world and that's something that parents need to talk to their kids about," said Ben Halper, founder of the Savvy Cyber Kids organization.

Wilfon contacted Snapchat, which defended the new feature.

The company points out that users must opt-in to use Snap Map. They can easily hide their location by choosing "ghost mode." If they chose to use Snap Map, they can reveal their location to all friends or just a few.

Snapchat said in a statement:

"The safety of our community is very important to us. Snapchatters can choose exactly who they want to share
their location with, if at all, and can change that setting
at any time."

Holland said she partially opted in, revealing her location only to a few close friends.

"I don't know, all this stuff that happens in the world. It doesn't seem like something you should have," she said.

Cox Media Group