Questions parents and teachers ask

Get Off The Map is free, needs no login, and stores nothing about a student using it. It has a 45-minute lesson plan, print material, and adult resources. District staff should review their current reporting policy before teaching.

Yes. Get Off The Map is a free guide, and the adult materials are free. You don't need an account or login to use the pages or self-check.

Get Off The Map is publicly available and free to use. You can run it with a class, a club, or one child at a kitchen table. Share the home page or the adult page based on who needs it.

Get Off The Map covers location safety for middle and high school, including grades 7 through 12. Middle-school starting points are Roblox, Discord, DMs, and friend requests. Read the reporting guidance before teaching because the topic can surface a disclosure. The lesson is for grades 7 through 12, with middle-school starting points.

Nothing is saved, tracked, or sent anywhere. There are no accounts, cookies, or analytics. The self-check results stay in the browser tab and disappear when the tab closes.

Every main page includes an Español link to the Spanish version. It was translated by artificial intelligence and is not a professional human translation. The English version controls if there is a difference. If the two versions differ, use the English version as the controlling text for the page.

Get Off The Map is an In Charge privacy tool. We built it with Change the Conversation, a Maryland nonprofit that works to prevent child sexual abuse and support healing. It is a student-first guide to who can find you through a phone, apps, and posts.

Get Off The Map doesn't use accounts and stores nothing about the student who uses it. The self-check runs in the browser tab and disappears when the tab closes. That means no login is required to use the guide.

Android can give an app precise or approximate location. Approximate location gives the app a rough area instead of your exact spot. You pick between the two on that app's location permission screen.

Open Settings, Location, and App location permissions. Review apps listed under Allowed all the time. Change an app to Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don't allow if that fits the app. Start with the always-allowed group, since those apps can use location in the background.

Open Settings, Location, then App location permissions. Pick an app and choose Allow all the time, Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don't allow. You can also long-press an app icon and open App info, Permissions, then Location. Both routes lead to the app's Location permission options.

On a Pixel, open Camera, Settings, More settings, and turn off Save location. On a Galaxy, open Camera, Settings, General, and turn off Location tags. On other Android phones, deny the Camera app location permission. That does the same job.

In the Google app, open your profile icon, Manage Your Google Account, Data & Privacy, then Timeline. Turn Timeline off or set auto-delete to three months. Timeline isn't public by default. Still, anyone with access to your phone or account may be able to see it and the places it records.

Xbox under-18 accounts are managed in a Microsoft Family Group. It has controls for communication, profile, and online status. PlayStation has privacy presets in Family Management or the PlayStation app. Voice chat can be risky. It is more risky when someone asks your child to move the chat to another app.

On desktop, open the cogwheel, then Content & Social. Turn off Direct messages under Social permissions. Choose to apply it to servers you are already in. On mobile, the same controls are under profile, cogwheel, Settings, and Content & Social.

In Discord's Content & Social settings, open Friend Requests. Uncheck Everyone, Friends of Friends, and Server Members to stop all incoming requests. Labels can differ slightly, so look for Friend Requests under Content & Social.

Family Link can show a child's device location on Android phones and Fitbits, not iPhones or iPads. It can also manage app installs, permissions, screen time, and some settings. If your family uses it, discuss location changes with the parent or guardian who set it up.

Use the shortest sharing period that works for your family. Find My offers One Hour and Until End of Day instead of Indefinitely for live location sharing. WhatsApp also offers time-limited live-location sharing. These options let a share end after a set time that you choose for your family.

There isn't a ready-made phone contract here. Build a simple plan instead: review sharing lists, limit DMs from strangers, decide which adults a young person can tell, and talk openly about settings you manage. Check the settings again after big app updates, because apps move and rename controls.

On Apple Find My, open the People tab, select a name, and choose Stop Sharing My Location if needed. In Google Maps, open the profile picture, Location sharing, select a person, and choose Stop. Family Sharing is a separate iPhone list from Find My. Apple Find My and Google Maps use separate sharing lists.

In Instagram, open the menu, Settings and activity, then Messages and story replies, and turn off Show Activity Status. This stops the app from showing that your child is active. The same area also has message-request controls. You can review those controls in the same Settings and activity area.

Open the profile, tap the menu, choose Settings and activity, then Account privacy, and turn on Private account. A private account still usually shows the profile photo, username, and bio to searchers. Review those parts too. Review the profile photo, username, and bio shown to people who search.

Open the post, tap the three dots, choose Edit, tap the location name, choose Remove Location, and save. For a bulk review, use Settings and activity, Your Activity, and Posts. Check older posts as well as new ones.

Almost nothing needs Always location access. Review each app in Settings, Privacy & Security, and Location Services. Choose the access level that fits how your child uses it. Turning location off everywhere can affect Find My, maps, weather, and family sharing. These tools can be affected when location is off.

On iPhone, open Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, System Services, then Significant Locations. There, you can see the saved history stored on your phone. Choose Clear History to remove the saved record from the phone. It can show patterns in the places a person goes over time. Those places may be where your child lives, studies, works, or visits often.

Open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services. Choose an app. Select Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, While Using the App, or Always. The Location Services list lets you review every app with location access.

On iPhone, open Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, then Camera, and choose Never. New photos will not have location data after you choose Never in Camera. Old photos may still have location metadata, so remove it before sharing when needed. That change affects photos you take later. It does not change location data in an old photo you already took on the phone.

Precise Location lets an app see your child's exact spot. When you turn it off for an app, the app gets a general area instead. You can change it for each app in Location Services.

Managed Chromebooks can enforce settings. They can install or block apps. A school administrator may see activity on them. Don't sign in to personal Google, Instagram, or Snapchat accounts on a school device. If a setting is locked, ask the school IT person about it.

Start with private social accounts, live-location sharing lists, DMs and friend requests, camera location, and old location tags. Check the bio and username for a school, team, or town. Begin with the phone and the two apps your child uses most.

Family location sharing is a family decision, and many families use it for good reasons. These apps do not automatically make a teen safer, and they have privacy trade-offs. Know exactly who is on the sharing list so you can avoid accidental sharing. That list is the practical place to start in your family.

Original photo files can keep metadata when you send them by text, email, AirDrop, Discord, or a cloud link. Large social platforms usually remove it from the downloadable copy. That copy is not the original file, so the original can still keep it when you share it. Turn off camera location before you take a photo. Remove location from photos already taken when needed.

A post or Story made while your child is still somewhere can show where they are right then. Post after they leave instead. Check backgrounds for street signs, house numbers, storefronts, bus numbers, and license plates. Post after your child leaves, and check the background for signs, numbers, and plates.

On iPhone, open the photo in Photos, tap the three dots, choose Adjust Location, then No Location. On Android, open the photo in Google Photos, open its details, and remove the location if your app offers that option. A screenshot of a photo has no GPS data.

There isn't one set age for location sharing. Sharing with parents is a family decision, so review the people who can see a location. On Snapchat, Snap Map is opt-in and can be hidden with Ghost Mode or limited to selected friends. Review the list of people who can see a shared location.

In Roblox Settings, open Privacy & content restrictions, then open Visibility & private servers. Set Online Status and Show current experience to No one in that part of Settings. Turn off activity updates in the same part of the account settings as well. Communication has separate controls for experience chat, direct chat, voice chat, and party chat. The chat controls are their own set in the app.

A greyed-out setting can mean a school or another adult manages the device. There is no student workaround for a locked Chromebook setting. Ask the school IT person about it. Keep personal accounts off school devices because activity there may be visible to the school. A school may manage settings on the device.

A parent can use Screen Time restrictions to lock Location Services or Share My Location. When those controls are locked, a guide can't change them for you. Ask for the change rather than switching off a parent's sharing quietly.

Check the whole frame, not only your child. House numbers, street signs, bus routes, school mascots, car plates, team details, and schedules can point to a place or routine. Avoid posting in real time. Remove location metadata from original files when needed. These details can identify a place or routine in the whole frame.

Open Snap Map, tap the gear, turn on Ghost Mode, and choose a duration. Choose Until Turned Off. Snap Map is off until your child turns it on and is visible only to mutual friends, not publicly. Ghost Mode can be set to Until Turned Off. Snap Map isn't public.

Open the Snapchat profile, tap the gear, go to App & Privacy, then Contact Me, and choose Friends. The other option includes people in phone contacts. You can also set who can view the Story. Contact Me controls who can message, and Story settings control who can view the Story.

Open Profile, the menu, Settings and privacy, Privacy, then turn on Private account. Accounts for ages 13 to 15 are private by default. You can turn off suggestions based on contacts. You can also turn off suggestions based on Facebook friends and people who opened your links.

Open WhatsApp Settings, Privacy, then Last seen and online. Choose Nobody or My contacts. The same privacy area lets you review live location sharing.

To stop one chat, open it and choose Stop Sharing. To stop every live-location share, open Settings, Privacy, Live location, then Stop Sharing. When starting a new share, WhatsApp offers 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours.

People online can claim to be anyone, including another teen. Some use several fake accounts and may claim a different age or gender. A username, game team, or shared server doesn't confirm who someone is offline.

Click the avatar and choose Invisible. This lets your child appear offline while still being able to message. Open Activity Privacy and turn off sharing what your child is playing. These controls help limit what other people see about activity.

Use the app's official recovery page for a hacked account. FBI IC3 is for online extortion, scams, and account takeovers. The FTC's ReportFraud site also takes reports. If money was taken or identity was used, contact local law enforcement. Use the app's official recovery page, not a phone number found in a search.

Moving from a public app to private or disappearing messages can be a planned step in many harmful situations. Requests to keep the conversation secret are also a warning sign. Limit DMs and friend requests to friends on the apps your child uses.

From a person's profile, use the three dots and choose Block User. In a game, use the player list or menu to find that person and block them. To report, use the in-game menu and shield icon, choose Experience or Person, complete the options, and submit.

Snap Map is never public and is off until your child turns it on. It is visible to mutual friends. Your child can use Ghost Mode or narrow the audience in Map Settings.

TikTok direct messages are off for ages 13 to 15 and can't be turned on. For ages 16 to 17, use the Direct Message settings and set Others on TikTok to Don't receive. Check the account's current privacy settings directly.

Change the password on your email first. Then turn on two-step verification and sign out of other devices. Warn friends that the account may message them. Use the app's own recovery page rather than searching for a support phone number. Use that recovery page instead of a phone number found through a search.

A school, team, jersey number, schedule, and public post can combine to show where your student will be and when. Location history can reveal regular places too. Remove details from bios and posts that name a school, team, town, or routine. Those details can appear in a bio or a public post.

For grooming or an adult seeking a meeting, use NCMEC's CyberTipline, Childhelp, RAINN, the FBI, and other reporting options. If there's immediate danger, call 911 first. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline. Keep messages and don't meet the person.

Call 911 if the danger is immediate. If it is not, contact local law enforcement and report online child exploitation to NCMEC's CyberTipline. You can use 988 and other crisis resources too.

Don't pay and don't send another photo. Payment doesn't make the person stop, and sending more shows the pressure is working. For an active threat, call 911 if danger is immediate or local law enforcement otherwise, and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Doxxing is finding real information, such as an address, school, phone number, or parents' names, and posting it. Save screenshots of the post and account, then report it in the app. Call 911 for immediate danger or local law enforcement otherwise, and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Screenshot where it was posted, including the account, and report it in the app. Call 911 if there's immediate danger. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Screenshot the content before blocking, then report the account in the app. Tell an adult at school if the people involved attend your school. If anyone threatens to hurt your child, contact law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Save the messages and profile, don't pay or send more, and report the account in the app before blocking. Call 911 if danger is immediate. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline. Take It Down also addresses images taken under age 18.

We can't tell you how a law applies to a situation or predict a legal outcome. Read the primary source linked on the reporting page, then talk to an attorney or your agency. If a child may be in danger, contact law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline. The primary source, an attorney, or your agency can address legal questions.

Timers, deadlines, and many messages in a row can pressure someone not to get a second opinion. Stop replying, but keep the conversation instead of deleting it. For an active threat, call 911 if danger is immediate, or contact local law enforcement if it is not. Report the active threat to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Someone may pose as a modeling agency, talent scout, or brand deal. That can make a photo request seem like a job. Treat a request for photos or a secret chat as a reason to pause and get an adult's view. If someone is pressuring a minor now, contact law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

“I'll send one if you send one” is a common opener, and the first image may not be the person behind the account. Don't send an image or make a deal. If there's a current threat or disclosure, call 911 for immediate danger or local law enforcement otherwise, and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Take a screenshot of the messages and account profile before blocking. Keep the conversation, and don't delete it. If it is current or may put someone in danger, call 911 for immediate danger. If not, contact local law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline. Keep the messages for that report.

We don't identify or remove specific monitoring apps. A person with access to your child's phone or account may see location history. Review live-location lists. Call 911 if you believe someone is tracking your child now or they are in danger. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Use Take It Down for an image taken when the person was under 18. Use StopNCII.org when the person was 18 or older in the image. If someone is threatening to share an image, also contact law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline. Take It Down and StopNCII.org apply to different ages in the image.

Take It Down is a free, anonymous NCMEC tool for someone worried that a nude photo or video taken when they were under 18 is online. The device makes a code from the image, and only that code is shared with apps, not the image. For an active threat, contact law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline too.

Online grooming can involve someone building trust with a young person to ask for photos or a meeting later. Signs include moving chats to another app, secrecy, gifts or game codes, fast closeness, and pressure. If an adult is trying to meet your child or someone is in current danger, call 911. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Sextortion is when someone threatens to release an image unless the person pays. If this is happening now, don't pay, send more, or delete the messages. Call 911 if there is immediate danger; otherwise, contact local law enforcement and report to NCMEC's CyberTipline. Keep the messages so you can make the report.

Call 911 when someone is in immediate danger. For a threat, stalking, or a fake emergency call to a home, contact local police; use a non-emergency route when it isn't happening now. Report online child exploitation to NCMEC's CyberTipline as well.

Your child can start with another trusted adult. That may be a counselor, teacher, coach, relative, or a help resource. Make clear who those adults are before a problem starts. If you learn of immediate danger or current exploitation, contact law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Don't investigate, ask to see images, or ask a student to log in. Write down what the student says in their own words and hand it to the people whose job it is. For current danger, contact law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline; follow your district process as well.

The Maryland summary is for planning, not legal advice. Educators are mandated reporters. The listed steps are an oral report immediately. They include a written report within 48 hours. Read the primary source. Then talk to an attorney or your agency and follow current district policy.

For sextortion, save all messages and the profile first, then report the account in the app before blocking it. This report sends more information than blocking it does. For current exploitation, contact local law enforcement and NCMEC's CyberTipline. Report in the app before you block the account, as part of this response.

Use NCMEC's CyberTipline to report online enticement, sextortion, or child sexual abuse material. It lists both report.cybertip.org and 1-800-843-5678 for these reports. Call 911 first if there is immediate danger. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement and make a CyberTipline report. Use both routes when danger is not immediate or current.

Taking the phone and changing settings yourself can end the conversation quickly. Make clear that the phone won't be taken away just because your child reports a problem. Focus first on saving messages, reporting, and getting the right adult help.

Frame this as a 45-minute lesson that ends with settings changed. It isn't a lecture about deleting apps. Share the reporting guidance. Have a counselor or designated contact available, since the topic can surface disclosures. NCMEC NetSmartz and Change the Conversation offer more adult materials for planning the lesson.

Your child can use one sentence that names the setting and why it matters. Keep any sharing you rely on, show the setting directly, and don't change a parent's sharing quietly. If someone unknown is messaging your child, encourage them to lead with that and ask for help.

Ask what would make someone turn off location sharing for a friend, how to say it without being weird, what appears in a recent photo's background, and why someone might not tell an adult. Don't require personal answers. These questions help students name barriers without blaming them for what they have shared or missed.

There isn't a stated maximum class size. Use the walkthrough search box so an app's steps stay on screen for the class, then walk the room while students change settings. The lesson uses a class of twenty as one example, not a maximum.

Apps can rename, move, or reset settings, so re-check after major updates and revisit the guide twice a year. Show the help page before anyone needs it and have students name an adult they could tell. The checklist resets when the page reloads.

Use separate starting points for each age group. For middle school, begin with Roblox, Discord, DMs, and friend requests. For high school, begin with Snapchat, Instagram, and location tags on old posts.

Do the settings work with your child rather than to them. Your child should know which adult to tell if something goes wrong, and you shouldn't quietly have sharing turned off. Make the plan and sharing list a conversation, not a secret surveillance task.

Use five blocks: room rules, the self-check, how people get found, changing settings, and the help page. The goal is for each student to leave with at least two settings changed. Read the reporting guidance before teaching because the subject can surface a disclosure.

Do the walkthroughs alongside your child rather than changing settings for them. Start by reviewing who can see live location and which apps can use it. Make the reason clear and keep the discussion about safety rather than secrecy.

Send students to Check Yourself for eight questions, about a minute, and a personal score with a fix list. Tell students that nothing is saved or sent, and don't ask anyone to read a score aloud. Ask what surprised them instead.

Run the eight self-check questions from the board as a show of hands with eyes closed, then use the printed checklist. The pages are set up to print, and every walkthrough opens for printing. Lock It Down prints as a settings handbook, while Get help now prints as a resource sheet.