Parents: Check Your Child’s Snapchat Location Settings

A recent Edmonton investigation is a reminder that online safety can extend beyond what children say and share online. Location information can potentially connect an online interaction to a child’s real-world whereabouts. Police in Alberta are urging parents to review their children’s social media location settings after an investigation involving two youths who were allegedly sexually exploited online.

According to Global News, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said a suspect allegedly tracked the youths through Snapchat and travelled to their family homes. Police said the youths were allegedly threatened into sending sexually explicit videos and that the suspect knew their home addresses and schools. The victims reportedly told investigators they complied because they were extremely afraid for their own safety and the safety of their families.

An 18-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with several offences, including child luring, extortion and criminal harassment, along with offences involving child sexual abuse and exploitation material. These are allegations, and the charges have not been proven in court.

For parents, the story is a good reason to check Snapchat’s location settings today.

Why Snapchat Location Sharing Deserves a Closer Look

 

Snapchat’s Snap Map allows users to share their location with selected friends. According to Snapchat, location sharing is turned off by default, but users can choose who can see their location. Snapchat also offers different types of location sharing, including location that updates while the app is being used and background location sharing that can continue updating after the app is closed.

That distinction is important.

A child may not realize that their location can potentially provide information about where they live, attend school, spend time with friends or follow their daily routine.

ALERT specifically urged parents to talk with their children about safe social media use and, at a minimum, turn off location tracking.

How to Check Snapchat Location Sharing

If your child uses Snapchat, sit down with them and review the settings together.

1. Open Snap Map

Open Snapchat and swipe right twice from the Camera screen to open Snap Map.

2. Open Map Settings

Tap the gear icon ⚙️ on Snap Map.

This opens the location-sharing settings.

3. Turn on Ghost Mode

Select Ghost Mode if you do not want your child’s location visible to other Snapchat users on the Map.

Snapchat currently provides options for how long Ghost Mode remains enabled, including Until Turned Off.

When Ghost Mode is enabled, Snapchat says the location remains visible to Snapchat itself, but it is hidden from other people on the Map.

4. Check the Phone’s Location Permission

Don’t stop with the Snapchat setting.

Check the phone’s own location permissions for Snapchat.

On an iPhone, you can generally find this under:

Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Snapchat

On Android, the path can vary by manufacturer and Android version, but it is generally found under:

Settings → Apps → Snapchat → Permissions → Location

If you don’t want Snapchat accessing the device’s location, review the available options and choose the setting that matches your family’s privacy decision.

Menu names can vary depending on the phone and operating-system version.

5. Check Location Sharing in Chats

Snap Map isn’t the only place to consider.

Global News reported that Snapchat can also allow location sharing through direct chats.

Review these settings with your child and make sure they understand who can receive location information.

6. Review Who Your Child Has Added

This is an important conversation to have without blame.

Ask your child who the people on their Snapchat friends list are and how they know them.

You might ask:

“Do you know this person outside of Snapchat?”

“How did you meet?”

“Have they ever asked you to keep your conversations secret?”

“Has anyone ever pressured you to send a photo or video?”

The goal isn’t to make a child feel that they are in trouble. It is to create an environment where they feel comfortable telling you when something doesn’t seem right.

Snapchat itself recommends sharing location only with people the user knows and trusts.

7. Be Careful About What Is Posted to Snap Map

Turning off location sharing doesn’t mean every location-related piece of information disappears.

Snapchat warns that Snaps submitted to Snap Map can still appear on the Map regardless of the user’s location-sharing settings.

That means children should also think about what is visible in photographs and videos.

A school sign, street sign, house number, recognizable landmark or other background detail can sometimes reveal more than the person posting intended.

This isn’t just a Snapchat issue. What teens post on social media can reveal surprisingly personal information about where they live, go to school and spend their time. Rose explores this further in her article TikTok Dangers: What Your Videos Reveal About You, including how seemingly harmless videos can provide clues about a young person’s surroundings and daily routines.

Don’t Forget About “My Home”

Snapchat now has a My Home feature that allows users to set a home location on Snap Map. Snapchat says friends with whom a user shares their location can see that home location on the Map.

This is another setting parents may want to review.

If your child has set up a home location, check who can see it and whether the feature is necessary for your family.

Talk to Your Child About Sexual Pressure Without Blame

Location privacy is only one part of this conversation.

Children and teenagers also need to understand what to do if someone pressures, threatens or blackmails them online.

This is where parents can make a real difference.

If a child believes they will be punished for telling the truth, they may delay asking for help. Instead, make it clear that coming to you is always an option, even if they have already made a mistake.

You can say:

• “If someone threatens you online, you can come to me. We will deal with it together.”
• A child should know that they don’t have to comply with demands for sexual images or videos because someone is threatening them.
• They should also know that they don’t have to handle online blackmail alone.
• In the Edmonton case, ALERT said the youths reported complying with threats because they were extremely afraid for themselves and their families.
• That is an important reminder that fear can affect the choices young people make when they are being threatened.

Establish a Simple Family Rule

You don’t need a long list of complicated internet rules.

Consider establishing a few simple expectations:

• Don’t share your home address with people you don’t know and trust.
• Don’t share your school or daily routine with strangers online.
• Don’t share your live location with people you don’t know and trust.
• If someone threatens, pressures or scares you online, tell a trusted adult.

And perhaps the most important rule: You can always come to me for help.

What Parents Can Do Today

You don’t have to wait until there is a problem.

Take a few minutes today to sit with your child and review:

• Snapchat’s Snap Map
• Ghost Mode
• Snapchat’s phone location permission
• Location sharing in chats
• Their Snapchat friends list
• What they post publicly
• Whether a home location has been added
• Whether they understand what to do if someone pressures or threatens them

Make it a conversation rather than an interrogation.

Online safety isn’t about frightening children away from social media. It is about helping them recognize risks and making sure they know there is a trusted adult they can turn to when something goes wrong.

My Take as a Parent and Online Safety Writer

I’ve spent many years writing about technology, parenting and online safety, and one thing I believe is especially important is keeping these conversations open.

Children are going to encounter situations online that parents cannot always prevent. We can’t monitor every conversation or anticipate every person they may encounter.

What we can do is give them practical tools, teach them to protect personal information and, perhaps most importantly, make sure they know they can come to us without fear of being blamed.

Checking a privacy setting takes only a few minutes.

Having an ongoing conversation about online safety can provide something much more valuable: a child who knows what to do and who to turn to when they need help.

If you know another parent whose child uses Snapchat, share this article with them.

About the Edmonton Investigation

This article discusses an ongoing criminal case based on information reported by Global News and statements attributed to ALERT. The suspect has been charged, but the allegations have not been proven in court. Details may change as the investigation and court proceedings continue.

Sources

Global News reported on the Edmonton investigation and ALERT’s warning to parents.