What Parents Need To Know About Snapchat
Here you can learn more about Snapchat: how your child uses the app, potential risks, the safety features, and what you can do to help keep your children safe.
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A Parent’s Guide to Snapchat
This guide can be used to learn more about Snapchat. It provides a detailed look at how your child uses the app, the potential risks they might encounter, the platform’s safety features, and what you can do to help keep them safe on Snapchat.
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a mobile app known for its focus on visual and temporary communication, allowing users to send photos and videos that disappear after they’re viewed. The minimum age to create a Snapchat account is 13 years old.
Key Features of Snapchat
- Snaps: Photos or videos sent to friends that disappear after they are viewed.
- Filters: Effects for photos and videos.
- Lenses: Augmented reality (AR) effects for faces and surroundings.
- Stories: A broadcast of a user’s Snaps that is visible to all their friends for 24 hours.
- Spotlight: A public feed of videos from the community.
- Snap Map: An interactive map showing your friends’ locations and public Snaps.
- Memories: A private archive for saving Snaps and Stories.
- Snapstreaks: Tracks consecutive days friends send Snaps.
How does Snapchat Keep Your Child Safe?
Apps are ever-changing and so are their features! Please remember to check your or your child’s settings regularly to stay aware of any updates to in-app safety features.
Private by Default Settings for Teens
Snapchat automatically makes teen accounts private by default, so they can only communicate with mutual friends and are protected from unwanted contact. Other default privacy settings include:
- Public Profiles: Not available for younger teens (13-15). For older teens (16-17), privacy settings block strangers from direct chats.
- Friending and Contact Protections: Snapchat may warn a user trying to add a teen without mutual contacts.
- Location Sharing: Off by default for all users
Family Center
With a mutual opt-in, you can monitor your child's Snapchat friends and recent communications, restrict sensitive content, and confidentially report concerning accounts.
- Where can I find this feature?
- Tap your profile picture > tap the gear icon > scroll to “Privacy Control” > tap on Family Center.
How does Snapchat Keep Your Child Safe?
Reporting & Blocking
Users can easily report, block, or remove other users who are sending unwanted or inappropriate content.
- Where can I find this feature?
- To Report or Block a user from the Chat screen: Tap and hold on their name > select Manage Friendship > find the Report or Block options.
- To Report a Snap or Story: Press and hold on the content itself > tap Report Snap or Report.
- To Report a Public Profile: Go to the profile > tap the three dots or gear icon > select Report.
“Here For You” Tool
This tool provides immediate, confidential support by surfacing mental health resources when a user searches for related terms like "anxiety" or "depression."
- Where can I find this feature?
- Tap the search icon > type a mental health topic (like “anxiety”) > the “Here for You” resources will appear in the search results.
What are the Risks of Snapchat?
Risk #1: Predators
Warning SignsFriend requests/DMs from strangers, conversations becoming personal quickly, requests for secrecy, pressure to move to other apps, and offers of gifts.
- What You Can Do
Talk with them about online safety, like recognizing grooming tactics and knowing what personal information to avoid sharing. Remind them to always block and report suspicious users.
Risk #2: Addiction
- Warning Signs
Anxiety when away from phone, stress over “Snapstreaks”, losing interest in hobbies, late nights, constant urge to check. - What You Can Do
Create phone-free zones/times; turn off notifications; use screen-time tools; build time-awareness; model healthy habits.
Risk #3: Cyberbullying
- Warning Signs
Changes in their mood, such as increased sadness or anxiety, or shifts in their behavior like avoiding friends, declining school performance, or changes in their sleep and eating habits. - What You Can Do
Have regular, low-pressure conversations about their online experiences. Show them how to use Snapchat’s safety tools. Remind them they deserve respect online, and seek professional help if their well-being is at risk.