Livingston Police Offer Snapchat Tip: Keep Kids Safe With ‘Ghost Mode’

LIVINGSTON, NJ — A police department in Essex County is advising parents and guardians to take note of a new feature on the popular mobile app, Snapchat, which allows users to “view the exact location” of their friends.

On Wednesday, the Livingston Police Department issued an advisory about the "Snap Map," a feature included in the latest update of Snapchat.

Users may view the locations of their Snapchat friends while they are active on the app. The feature also includes the ability for users to share photos and videos publicly, even if their profiles are otherwise private.

Here’s what the LPD had to say about Snapchat's new feature:

“Just a note to make parents aware of an update to Snapchat. Snapchat recently introduced a new tracker in its most current update. This tracker allows you to view the exact location of your friends. It can give you the area, town, and street and if you zoom in enough, it shows the house on the street layout.”

Livingston police continued:

“Please share this to make people aware, Snapchat has a lot of young users on it. If your children use Snapchat, please check to ensure they have their location set to Ghost Mode, that way no one can see where they are. To do this make sure app is the updated version and go to selfie mode on the camera. Then zoom out. It will give you the option of changing to who can see your location.”

The LPD post drew several comments from local residents.

• “Starting to wonder if the benefits of today's technology are being outweighed by the negative impacts and consequences. The eroding social skills of our young people for one is alarming.”
• “Technology is scary.”

Livingston police aren’t the only public safety agency to issue a recent alert about the new Snapchat feature.

• See related article: Bedford Police Warn Residents Of New Snapchat Feature
• See related article: 'Snap Map' App Could Be Dangerous For Kids, Authorities Say
• See related article: Police Warning Parents About New Snapchat Feature
• See related article: Snapchat Update: Minneapolis Police Issue Warning
• See related article: Milton Police Issue Snapchat Alert For Parents

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