(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Many young people are sharing their location online via social media apps despite the risk it poses, according to an Axios report.
According to a survey from The Harris Poll on behalf of The New York Times, 80% of respondents said their social media settings are set to reveal their location at least some of the time.
Kelsey King, 30, told Axios that turning off her location was a safety measure she wished she had used sooner after receiving a series of unnerving text messages from a man on a dating app. She had previously used her location settings to let people know where she was going if she was hiking alone.
Many apps allow users to share their exact positions with those who they have added as friends. The Find My Friends app, launched in 2011, allows users to share their location with certain time restrictions, such as for an hour, “until end of day,” or “indefinitely.” Users can also turn the feature off permanently until they decide to turn it back on.
Apple also announced a new feature of its upcoming iOS 17 iPhone software update titled “Check In,” which allows Apple users to let their friends know when they reached their location. Apple is said to have strong privacy settings that prevent position-sharing based on bad intentions.
Axios noted that location-sharing can be used for several things. For younger Gen-Z users, location-sharing is seen as helpful in building community between people online. It can also be used by parents who want to know where their kids are in real-time.
However, location-sharing can also help those with nefarious intentions who may want to harm other individuals. If someone shares their location with someone whom they do not know, it could serve as a pathway to dangerous or even criminal activity.
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