Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for Meta to shut down Instagram’s new map feature due to concerns over child safety. The lawmakers claim that location-sharing tools can expose minors to predators, citing past safety lapses such as AI chatbots talking inappropriately to children.
In a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal demanded that Meta removes the map and adopts more robust safety measures. They also pointed out instances where users’ locations were automatically shared without their consent.
However, a Meta spokesperson argued that the Instagram Map is off by default and only shares location data with people who have been followed back or are on a private list. Instagram’s top boss Adam Mosseri also said that he uses the map to share his activities with close friends.
The lawmakers’ concerns come as Vice President JD Vance meets with Ukrainian officials in the U.K., where progress was made toward ending the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, tourism in Las Vegas is down by 11% this year, with visitor numbers and convention attendance lower than usual.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/08/09/instagram-map-democrats-child-safety