How to Set Up Parental Controls on Snapchat? | Family Center on Snapchat

You’ll hardly find a teenager not using Snapchat today. Known for its peculiar camera and splendid features, this social media app is loved by youngsters all over the world.

However, it has recently launched its parental control features, allowing concerned parents to see what their kids are doing apart from sending snaps.

As a concerned parent, learning how to set up parental controls on Snapchat can ensure your child’s safety on the platform. So, without any further ado, let’s get straight to the point.

Yikes! Watching NBC nightly news.

Just saw parents taking on big tech because there very young son was sold drugs via Snapchat and passed from an overdose.

They are asking for parental controls. Some tech companies are saying NO.

— Eliza (@elizableu) June 22, 2021

In a Hurry? Snapchat has recently introduced the Family Center, which allows you to view your teen’s friends, see with whom they chat, restrict sensitive content, and report accounts.

How to Set Up Parental Controls on Snapchat?

When it comes to Snapchat Parental Controls, the app recently launched its internal parental control system – “Family Center.” To set it up:

• Open the Snapchat app.

• Tap the profile icon present in the top-left corner of the Camera screen.

  

• Now, tap the Settings icon at the top-right.

  

• Scroll down and tap on Family Center.

  

• Tap Continue at the bottom.

  

• Type your child’s username in the search bar.

  

• Tap the checkmark ahead of the username and tap Send Invitation at the bottom.

  

Tell your child to Accept your invitation, and then you’ll be able to keep an eye on their actions. Eventually, this works as the perfect option if you want to know how to monitor Snapchat for your teen’s account.

The steps mentioned above are for Android devices. However, these steps would be slightly the same to activate parental controls on iPhone. 

For a visual representation, you can take a look at this video shared by Snapchat’s official YouTube handle.

What Does Family Center for Snapchat Allow You to Do?

The Family Center is not one of the Snapchat premium features, as you can use it with the standard version as well. Using it will allow you to:

• Take a look at the accounts and groups your teen was engaged to in the last seven days. However, it will not reveal the actual Snapchat text message or the ongoing conversations.

• See the list of group members of every group that joined in the last seven days.

• Monitor the list of already added friends and the ones added recently. 

• Limit your child’s ability to see a specific type of content being shared in the Stories and Spotlight tabs.

• Report any suspicious or annoying accounts that may create issues later.

So, with these monitoring options mentioned above, Snapchat Family Center can prove to be effective in ensuring the privacy and safety of your kids on the platform.

What Else You Can Do Besides Activating Family Center?
Along with using Family Center on Snap, you can also try these methods to protect the young ones from potential threats:

• Turn Off My AI
• Delete Dreams Data
• Turn Off Notifications
• Customize Who Can Contact Your Child
• Turn Off Location
• Block Annoying Accounts
• Limit Who Can See the Story

What are the Risks Associated With Snapchat for Kids and Teens?

Snapchat is undoubtedly popular among teens but it can pose some risks if certain privacy settings are not taken care of. That said, let’s take a look at some of the risks associated with Snapchat online. 

• Snap Map – The Snap Map is an interactive map within the app that shows popular snaps captured in a particular area or if the user has added the location to their snap. Such snaps can be seen by anyone active, including strangers. Hence, any stranger will get to know where your child has been.

• Quick Add – With Quick Add, your child can easily add any stranger to their friend’s list. This is because Snapchat allows you to link other social media platforms and your contacts to the app, which later appears in the Quick Add list.

• Public Profile – Keeping a public profile means any other snap users can “subscribe” to your account. It is another possibility that your child may add some strangers who can easily view the shared content.

• Discover Section – The Discover section includes content shared by other snapchatters. It can include some mature stuff that your child should stay away from.

• Snap Streaks – Streaks occur when users send each other snaps regularly. It may impose a problem, especially with children who take this too seriously.

Young minds have a curiosity to explore every single feature of an app they’re using. Hence, it is highly possible that your children may come across one of the features mentioned above and put their privacy at risk. 

Did You Know? In 2013, Snapchat released an under-thirteen version of Snapchat for kids in 2013. It was named SnapKidz, but the app was discontinued after a few years.

Summing Up – Safety First!

Social media apps are great for connecting with people, but are not always safe when it comes to privacy. Being connected with your children on Snapchat is not enough as it provides other options like a close friends list. So, they can choose not to share any snaps or stories with you.

Hence, with the help of parental controls or Family Center, you get the surety that your child’s privacy is safe when using Snapchat. To be more thorough with the restrictions, third-party apps like mSpy can be used.

Gaurav Rathore