U.S. Senators Urge Mark Zuckerberg to Remove Instagram’s Real-Time Location Feature

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have formally requested that Mark Zuckerberg remove the live location feature on Instagram.

The senators argue that the tool places children at risk of exploitation by predators and traffickers.

In a letter sent on Friday, Blackburn and Blumenthal called on Meta to “immediately abandon” the feature. They criticized the company for what they described as a poor history of safeguarding its youngest users.

The senators wrote, “This addition is a cause of particular concern for us when it comes to children and teens that are active on Instagram. Meta’s platforms have been consciously designed to prioritize profit over the protection of its most vulnerable users: our children.”

Meta introduced the live location feature last week. It allows users to share their real-time location on a map accessible to others. Although the feature requires users to opt in, reports have surfaced of some individuals finding their locations displayed without having enabled the setting.

Parents who supervise their children’s Instagram accounts are supposed to be notified if the live location feature is activated. However, the senators described the platform’s parental controls as confusing and inadequate.

They stated, “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.”

The letter also accused Meta of repeatedly failing to protect young users until pressured by Congress.

The senators added, “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.”

In response, a Meta representative emphasized that the live location feature is optional. “Instagram Map is off by default, and your live location is never shared unless you choose to turn it on,” the spokesperson said. “If you do, only people you follow back or a private, custom list you select can see your location.”