Snap Inc. Enhances In-App Parental Controls

Snap Inc. remains dedicated to providing parents with enhanced tools and resources to assist them in ensuring the secure use of Snapchat by their teenagers. The introduction of the Family Center in 2022 consolidated a suite of parental features enabling parents to monitor their teens’ Snapchat activities, confidentially report concerns, and implement content controls—all aimed at fostering a safer Snapchat experience for teens. Aligned with Snapchat’s core mission of replicating real-life communication dynamics, the Family Center mirrors the relationship dynamics between parents and teens, offering insights into their interactions while respecting the privacy of personal communications.

To augment parental oversight and facilitate constructive discussions about online safety, Snapchat has recently expanded the Family Center features. In the upcoming weeks, Snapchat will roll out the following enhancements:

1. Visibility into Teens’ Settings: Parents gain access to their teens’ safety and privacy configurations, many of which default to the strictest standards. This includes viewing their teens’ story settings, contact settings, and whether their teen is sharing their location on the Snap Map.
2. Parental Controls for AI: Parents can now restrict Snapchat’s AI chatbot, My AI, from responding to their teen’s chats. This builds upon existing safeguards within My AI, such as protection against inappropriate responses, temporary usage restrictions for misuse, and age-awareness.
3. Easy Access to Family Center: Snapchat has simplified the accessibility of Family Center for parents unfamiliar with the platform. Now, parents can directly access Family Center from their profile by navigating to settings in the top-right corner.

Throughout the development of the Family Center, Snapchat collaborated closely with families and online safety experts, incorporating their feedback to regularly update and enhance its features. Snap remains committed to ongoing collaboration, ensuring Snapchat remains an enjoyable and secure environment for users of all ages.