Have you checked out the new Snap Map? If you have Snapchat, you probably already know about this cool new feature.

The Snap Map is a new way to see where your friends are on a virtual map, down to their precise location.

Have teens’ obsession with sharing their daily lives gone too far? Are constant location updates where the line should be drawn?

The saying “better safe than sorry” is important to remember when using Snapchat’s map. We all want to make sure we are being safe online and following the proper precautions and safety.

The Snap Map’s intended goal is to provide locations of friends and a heat map of stories around the area. It’s accessed by pinching in on the Snapchat camera.

This is where all your Snapchat friends show up. You can see if your friend is really at soccer practice or if they are over at Crazy for Yogurt with other people. It even shows if someone is in a car and what street they’re driving on.

The controversy comes from the accuracy of the map. Zooming in on a person shows exactly what house they are in. If you have a friend on Snapchat and don’t know them well, they can track you wherever you are.

Most would think that the map is a harmless feature. They know that seeing their friends on Snapchat has no adverse effects.

Any one of your friends can see your location, even someone pretending to know you. It is important to know everyone you add on Snapchat, otherwise your private life becomes public spectacle.

Snapchat implemented a feature in the map allowing users to go into “ghost mode” which hides their location. Not everybody wants to be found at all times. Concerned teens can enable it, disappearing from the map while still being able to look at it.

I personally love the Snap Map and how my friends can connect with me. It makes it easier to meet up knowing where everyone is.

The other nice feature of the map is the heatmap of stories. It shows popular places in the area with a large amount of snaps there, like the beach or at the mall. The photos and videos are there for you to see during a 24 hour period, even if the person isn’t there anymore.

Online safety is key with this new update. The world of tech advances every day, and things like GPS trackers in phones are both good and bad. It’s a constant battle between sharing about your life and protecting your privacy. As long as we take the proper precautions, the Snap Map is a great way to connect with friends.