Cybersecurity Policy Report, Instagram’s New Location-Sharing Feature Endangers Teens’ Privacy, Security, Senators Say, (Aug 11, 2025)

By Lynn Stanton

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) have urged Meta Platforms, Inc., Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to turn off the recently introduced location-sharing map feature on Meta’s Instagram platform, citing concerns about the safety of minors using the app.

Meta announced the location-sharing feature last week, saying that, by default, location sharing would be turned off and that parents could control whether their teens had access to location-sharing. If the child turns location sharing on, the parent could be notified if they chose to be.

In a letter to Mr. Zuckerberg dated Aug. 8 and released Saturday, Sens. Blackburn and Blumenthal said, “While Meta has argued that the feature is inactive unless users opt in to sharing their location, some consumers have reported that their location was automatically shared without their consent,” citing an Aug. 8 USA Today article.

They added, “While Meta has argued that parents with supervision settings on their children’s accounts have control over their location settings, it is clear that existing parental controls are not sufficient. Meta has made it difficult for parents to fully understand or utilize parental controls, leading to abuse, exploitation, and victimization of these precious children.”

“As you know, children often accept follow requests from individuals they do not know personally. Allowing children to share their real time location and more readily displaying where they take pictures to strangers—many of whom may be pedophiles and traffickers—will only increase the dangers children face online due to your inaction,” the senators said.

“Your company has repeatedly shown that it will always fail to protect children’s lives—unless we pass legislation like the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act. Allowing the geolocation of minors on your platform is just the latest example of this sad reality. We urge you to immediately abandon Instagram’s map feature and instead institute meaningful protections for children online—they deserve nothing less,” the senators concluded.

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