For many years, Snapchat has been one of the most popular social media apps for teenagers. However, it is also one of the most dangerous apps for young people. Between unwanted geolocation and inappropriate Discover pages, it's no wonder parents take issue with Snapchat (see our 2019 blog about this). This is why many parents are excited that Snapchat decided to update their parental controls and filters.
Last week, Snapchat launched the Family Center, a new tool to help caregivers gain insight into who their children are interacting with on the popular app. With the new tool, parents can see their children's "Friends" list and when their children exchange messages. Parents can also more easily report concerning accounts without their children's knowledge or permission. However, parents are still unable to see the content of the snaps their children send or receive and they are unable to block or remove users off their children's "Friends."
While Snapchat also released new resources and guidelines for parents and children to have good conversations about online safety, they failed to include resources on sexual abuse and exploitation—both of which are major risks of the platform.
To read more about the Family Center and how to activate it for your child, click here.