But the conversation about the Instagram map went downhill fast, with experts weighing in about privacy and safety risks.

Here’s what we know about the Instagram Map, including how to turn the feature off, and what security experts say about it.

As part of a suite of new Instagram updates, the social media platform launched a new interactive map last Wednesday. It allows users to see where they and their friends are based on location data.

In a news release, Meta called it “a new, lightweight way to connect with each other.” It’s available nationwide in the United States with global availability coming soon.

The map can populate for all users, regardless of location sharing, based on locations collected from Instagram stories, posts, and Reels with location stickers, and show them on the map for 24 hours — not just your live location.

For those who opt into sharing their location, the location is updated whenever you open Instagram or return to it if it’s running in the background, Meta said.

Map location sharing is off by default. If you do choose to share your location on Maps with friends, you can control who can see it — friends (a.k.a. followers you follow back), Close Friends (Instagram’s option for a specific group of friends), select friends (an even more exclusive group you can choose from), or no one.

Users can turn off the Instagram map- and location-sharing options in the Instagram settings page:

Parents with a supervised-teen Instagram account also have control over location settings. The parent or guardian will receive a notification if the Instagram account’s location-sharing settings are toggled on, according to Meta.

Technology- and appearance-wise, not very. But based on vibes alone, Gen Z users say it’s completely different.

Snapchat pioneered friendly map technology in 2017, which is still used by younger generations today.

And, as noted by the Washington Post, young people — especially Gen Z, but not exclusively — love leveraging location data to keep up with friends without directly reaching out. Using methods like Snapchat, Apple’s Find My, or Life360, location-sharing is another extension of social media.

Location-sharing is also a way for parents and their children to keep up with each other for safety. (Yes, kids use it to check up on their parents’ whereabouts, too.)

But early critics say Instagram’s map feels forced, especially when followers aren’t necessarily close personal friends.

Still, it’s worth noting that in many ways Instagram’s map is more private with how users’ location data is presented than Snapchat or Find My. While the latter two share real-time, continuous locations, Instagram shares updates when the app is open or running in the background. And like the Snapchat map, location sharing with Instagram’s version is opt-in based.

“The Instagram Map correctly assessed people’s desire to see what their friends are doing in real time, while adding an additional layer of public posts about any given spot,” the Washington Post reported. “And yet nearly everyone The Washington Post spoke to is uncertain about the point of the Instagram Map. Some said it feels like an inevitable end point for a deeply surveilled, voyeuristic culture.”

The main concern with any app that shares your location with users is who is able to access that information.

Privacy experts say these concerns can be particularly concerning for teens, who may unintentionally share private details with too many people. But Meta says Instagram’s new map is built with a double-consent feature by design to ensure that no one accidentally shares their location.

Still, experts say data literacy is low, and many users may not actually realize how their data and privacy settings translate into real life.

Across social media, users stressed fears that the map’s accuracy could allow bad actors to pinpoint a user’s location, putting them at risk.