/>iOn August 15, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of 37 state Attorneys General, led by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, sent a letter to Instagram requesting that it make “immediate changes to its newly implemented location-sharing feature, which allows a user’s precise location to be displayed on a map.”
The letter “emphasizes the heightened dangers for vulnerable users, including children and survivors of domestic violence, noting that such tools can be exploited by predators, stalkers, and other malicious actors.”
The letter requests that Instagram:
- Ensure that minors cannot enable location-sharing features;
- Send a clear alert to all adult users explaining the feature, outlining its risks, and providing full disclosure on how Instagram will use the location data; and
- Provide a simple, easy-to-access control to disable location sharing at any time for adults who choose to opt in.
The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming also joined the letter.
The letter outlines that the new feature
[E]nables users to see and share detailed, real-time location data through Instagram’s map interface. This functionality, if not carefully controlled, poses clear risks of stalking, harassment, and other forms of exploitation. It also represents a troubling expansion of the personal data Instagram collects and makes accessible, which can be misused by malicious actors.
The letter also notes that the location-sharing feature poses a “particular risk for minors as they can be readily used by sexual predators to identify and geographically target children in the real world.”
Parents need to be aware of this new feature, discuss it with children, and decide whether to enable the feature’s functionality or location sharing at all. All users of Instagram should assess whether to enable location sharing.
How does one turn the Friend Map on and off?
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on the paper plane “Messenger” icon in the top right.
- Then, tap the “Map” at the top of your inbox.
- Hit “Settings” in the upper right.
- When it asks, “Who can see your location?”, choose “NO ONE.”
Your location is now OFF, and other Instagram users cannot see where you’ve been.
