Over time Snapchat has become widely popular among kids and they are active on the platform. So, it has become essential for parents to know whether the app is safe to use. As snaps and messages disappear on the platform once seen, it is hard to track your child’s activities on the platform. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Let’s take a look at some Snapchat secrets to watch out for as parents to ensure your child has a safe browsing experience.
Snapchat Secrets for Parents: Everything You Need to Know
Social networking platforms have become easy ways of communication. Whether you wish to share pictures with your friends or text to ask for homework, kids have started to need apps to stay in touch with people. Thus, parents need to know everything about apps like Snapchat to take the necessary precautions.
What is Snapchat Parental Control and How Does it Work?
Snapchat introduced the Family Center feature back in 2022 for parents to get better visibility over their children’s activities. It allows you to view your kids’ friend lists and the people they exchange videos, chats, and snaps with.
One simply has to install the app on their phone and use their personal Snapchat account to link to their kid’s account through a voluntary invitation process. Once set up, you can observe activities on your child’s account for the previous seven days.
However, you won’t be able to read the messages’ contents. You will be able to report any suspected abuse to Snap’s Trust & Safety team for further investigation and restrict the exchange of such content on Snapchat.
Some prerequisites of this feature are:
- Parents should be 25+ years old to unlock Snapchat Parental Control.
- Their children must be first added as friends to send an invitation.
- Kids between the ages of 13-18 will be able to join.
How to Set Up or Enable Snapchat Parental Controls
If you wish to set up the Snapchat Parental Control on your account, follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Log in to your Snapchat account and tap on your profile at the top left corner of the screen.
2. Tap on the Settings icon at the top right corner of your profile.
3. Select Family Center under PRIVACY CONTROLS.
4. Tap on Continue.
5. Select the username of the desired person and tap on Send Invitation.
6. Now the recipient should tap on Accept to enable the Parental Controls from their chat.
How to Monitor Snapchat as a Parent
There are various ways through which you can monitor a Snapchat account as a parent.
- Enable Snapchat Parental Controls.
- To make sure their children are using the app safely, parents should keep an eye on their privacy settings.
- Review messages or images on their children’s profiles regularly.
- Screen time limits should be established by parents, who should also promote a balance between online and offline activities.
- Go through their friend lists and allow them to add just those you know.
- Parents should monitor their kids’ usage habits and promote app breaks.
How to Monitor Snapchat on iPhone
Follow the same steps as mentioned above to monitor the Snapchat activity of your child.
How to Track Snapchat Conversations
The Parental Controls feature enables parents to also track conversations on Snapchat. You can also use third-party apps like mSpy.
How to Keep Your Kids Safe on Snapchat
Like any other social networking platform, Snapchat comes with its shortcomings like having the risk of kids being exposed to strangers or coming across inappropriate content. Therefore, it is always better to take these precautions and ensure the safety of your kids:
- Change privacy settings so only friends and contacts can be added.
- Parents should teach their kids how to spot and report cyberbullying.
- Parents should talk to their kids about the value of privacy and appropriate photo and location sharing.
- Set clear rules for Snapchat usage, this means setting screen time limits.
- Set clear rules and boundaries for Snapchat usage, including screen time limits and appropriate content sharing.
Also Read: Is Snapchat Safe for Teens? 6 Pros and Cons for Parents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What can parents see on family center Snapchat?
Ans: Parents can have an insight into their kids’ friend lists and who they are interacting with from the Family Center.
Q2: Do Messages Really Disappear on Snapchat?
Ans: It depends on your privacy settings. If users have enabled 24-hour message visibility, then your messages cannot disappear within a day from viewing. However, generally, messages disappear from Snapchat after viewing.
Q3: Can my parents see my Snapchat history?
Ans: Not fully, if you have deleted any messages or using snaps to communicate with users, your parents will not be able to see your Snapchat history.
Q4: Where is the Family Center on Snapchat?
Ans: The Family Center is located under the Privacy Controls menu in your settings. You can also search for it and directly access it from the search bar.
You can vouch for your kids interacting with their friends in a safe environment Snapchat secrets you should know as parents. If you have any queries or suggestions, do not hesitate to reach out to us in the comment section. Keep visiting TechCult for more tech-related know-how.
