Lawmakers Pressure Meta to Scrap Instagram Map Function Causing Controversy
In the digital world, privacy and safety have become pressing concerns, particularly when it comes to younger users. The latest point of contention is Instagram's new Map feature, launched on August 6, 2025, which allows users to share their real-time locations selectively with friends they choose. Despite the feature's privacy controls, it has sparked significant concern among privacy experts and lawmakers.
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have publicly called for Instagram to abandon the new Map feature due to potential risks related to user privacy and safety. They, along with other critics, argue that sharing live locations—even with selected friends—could expose users to stalking, harassment, or other harms.
Meta, Instagram's parent company, maintains the feature is designed with privacy safeguards. The map sharing is entirely opt-in, only visible to approved friends, and location updates occur only when the app is opened or running in the background. However, the feature remains controversial, and some users and experts advocate disabling or removing it altogether.
The Map feature has been a subject of scrutiny in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Discord and Snapchat have disclosed to the committee that fewer than 1% of parents use parental controls offered on those platforms. Meta declined to provide similar statistics. This has led to accusations that Meta is not doing enough to protect younger users on its platform, with the senators describing Meta's track record on protecting children online as "abysmal."
The senators have also referenced reports of Meta deploying AI chatbots that engaged in sexually explicit conversations with minors. These allegations, combined with concerns about the Map feature, have led to calls for Meta to reconsider its approach to protecting younger users.
In response, Meta says its supervision features allow parents who use the company's parental controls to be notified when a teen starts sharing their location, and can turn their teen's access off to the feature at any time. However, the senators have highlighted the dangers children face online due to Meta's inaction regarding the Map feature.
The senators have reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act in the Senate in May, aiming to put more responsibility on social media companies when it comes to protecting users under the age of 17. The bill directs companies to allow for more parental controls and to create dedicated pages for users to report malicious content.
The bill's opponents, including free speech and civil liberties groups, warn that it could lead to censorship and is too broadly written. Nonetheless, the bill represents a significant step towards ensuring the safety and privacy of younger users online.
As of now, the Map feature remains live in the U.S., rolling out with planned future global availability, despite the calls from Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal for Instagram to reconsider or abandon the implementation. The ongoing debate underscores the need for continued vigilance and action to protect users, particularly younger ones, in the digital age.
[1] Instagram's New Map Feature: What You Need to Know [2] Instagram's New Map Feature Sparks Privacy and Safety Concerns [3] Senators Call for Instagram to Abandon New Map Feature [4] Senators Send Letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Calling for Abandonment of Instagram's New Map Feature [5] Experts Call for Instagram to Disable or Remove New Map Feature
- Technology's latest development, Instagram's New Map Feature, has sparked intense debate in education-and-self-development circles due to concerns raised by privacy experts and lawmakers regarding privacy and safety issues.
- The entertainment realm has witnessed a storm of political discussion, as Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal advocated for the removal of Instagram's New Map Feature, citing potential threats to user privacy and safety.
- The social media landscape has been abuzz with controversy surrounding Instagram's New Map Feature and Meta's approach to protecting younger users, with general-news outlets reporting on the reintroduction of the Kids Online Safety Act to address these concerns.
