On Friday, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discontinue the new map feature on Instagram.
In a letter discussed in NBC News, the bipartisan senators raised concerns that this feature could compromise safety by revealing the last active location of Instagram users to their followers.
“For years, we’ve been warning about real-time location sharing on social media, particularly concerning younger users,” they emphasized, urging for measures to protect children from potential threats online, including predators and human traffickers.
Meta was contacted for a response.
According to a Meta release from August 6, users can opt out of the feature anytime and control which followers can view their location.
Parents supervising their children’s accounts also have control over location settings and will be notified if changes are made.
However, the senators mentioned reports from some users who found their locations being shared without their consent.
“This new feature raises serious concerns for us, especially related to children and teens using Instagram,” they added.
On Thursday, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri indicated that the company is working on design improvements for the feature “as soon as possible.”
Both Blackburn and Blumenthal have been vocal about their concerns regarding child safety on Meta’s platforms, like Instagram and Facebook.
In April, the senators expressed alarm in another letter, stating that the company fails to protect minors from inappropriate online interactions, particularly with AI-driven chatbots.
They also sponsored the Kids Online Safety Act, which passed the Senate last summer but did not succeed in the House. The legislation has since been reintroduced.
“We strongly recommend that the map feature on Instagram be swiftly abandoned, along with implementing significant protections for online children.”
