GroomingIs “Sending location” something to worry about? More Grooming terms
Sending location
Risk flagSharing your real-time GPS location with someone, either as a one-time share or a continuous live location through apps like Snapchat, iMessage, Find My, or Google Maps.
How kids use it
Teens routinely share live locations with friends as a social norm. Risk: predators ask for location shares, and teens may not realize a continuous share means someone can track them in real time indefinitely.
Yes — take "Sending location" seriously. Terms in this category show up in contact between kids and people trying to exploit them. Seeing it in your kid's messages doesn't prove the worst, but it warrants a calm look at who they're talking to.
- Don’t confront in anger — ask who they’re talking to online, and look together.
- If an unknown adult is involved: screenshot everything, block, and report it to the platform — and to the NCMEC CyberTipline (CyberTipline.org) if anything sexual was requested or sent.
- Run a 30-second check on the apps involved Is it safe? checker →