Snapchat

Snapchat is a free messaging app that allows users to exchange pictures and videos called ‘snaps’. The idea is that these images can appear temporarily before disappearing, though they can be captured via screenshots. Snapchat allows users to edit their pictures and videos through the use of filters, lenses, emojis, text or other effects, which they can then share with friends. Users can choose how long their snaps stay on the app, from one second to no time limit. Recipients of the snaps can also have the ability to replay a snap they receive. Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms globally, especially with young people, and has 332 million daily active users worldwide. It is available to download on most mobile and PC devices and can also be accessed through the web via the Snapchat website. 

Official age rating

The minimum age restriction for Snapchat users is 13 however, Snapchat does not have any rigorous age verification methods. Users are unable to change their date of birth once an account has been created. 

All accounts default to a ‘Friends’ setting, where content can only be viewed by friends you’ve added on the platform. It is worth checking that your child’s account settings reflect this.

Find out more about age ratings in our ‘A parent and carer’s guide to age ratings of apps and games’.

How children and young people use the app

Snapchat is an extremely popular app for children and young people. The different ways users can edit pictures and the key feature of making messages temporary give the app a fun and playful feel. Users can choose to put a time limit of between 1-10 seconds on the ‘Snaps’ they send directly to their contacts or in group chats . Each snap shared with your followers as a ‘Story’ is also temporary and is available for 24 hours, unless you delete it before then. The app also has a multitude of other features including bitmojis, games, subscriptions and a discovery page with various types of news and curated content to scroll through. A big incentive for the continuous use of the app is the ‘Snapstreak’ feature where a number is presented next to a user’s name to signify the number of days in a row that they have been messaging. This is sometimes seen as a reflection of their friendship and if the users forget to message for a day, the number goes back down to zero which can be upsetting to some users and provides further incentive to use the app daily.

Key features and terminology

Potential risks

Content

As with other apps that encourage users to share their personal stories and pictures, a lot of unmoderated content is shared on Snapchat. Due to the ways that the algorithms work on platforms like Snapchat, videos will be shared because they are popular and have high engagement rather than because they are necessarily safe or appropriate for your child. It is also possible your child may stumble across inappropriate content in the form of bad language or mature content in their messages. By restricting who your child can access on the platform, your child is less likely to experience language or behaviour that is not suitable for their age. However, it should be acknowledged that your child may still be exposed to inappropriate content by their known contacts.

The disappearing text also presents a risk, as users could feel disinhibited and inclined to share content which they assume cannot be viewed again. This could apply to a range of situations, including the sharing of nude images, racist or hateful comments or engaging in bullying and harassment. Users should be reminded that any content they share on the platform can be easily captured in a screen shot and shared, so encourage your child to think carefully about the content they choose to share.

Users should also note that My AI, the new chatbot created by Snapchat, uses a modified version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. Similar to ChatGPT, My AI has its own set of content filters and an ability to generate a near-instantaneous response to any question prompt by the user. However, My AI may produce misinformation due to its nature as a ‘Large Language Model’ or ‘LLM’, which means that it forms responses based on the probability of words in a sentence about a topic. You should make sure your child knows that they should always fact-check responses by My AI. Snapchat additionally collects user data from conversations with My AI, so it is important that your child knows not to share private or sensitive information with My AI as these may be seen by a human AI trainer.

Connecting with others

Snapchat is a highly social app encouraging interaction and engagement that is lively and fun.  There have been cases of children and young people being contacted, solicited and harassed through this app. This app is likely targeted because it is so widely popular with children and young people but also because the disappearing messages feature may be attractive to those who are seeking to harm children. While Snapchat has taken several measures to limit young users from being discoverable by people they do not know, it is still important that children and young people know how to limit their contacts in settings to those who are known friends. Speak to your child about the risks of connecting with strangers and explain the importance of not sharing any personal or identifiable information on their profile or within chats. Encourage them to tell you if they have been asked more personal questions or to chat privately using a different app. Changing the privacy settings to sharing only with friends is recommended.

Whilst it is recommended that your child only interacts with people they know on the platform, they also need to be aware of some of the new features within the app that could put them at further risk. The recent introduction of the ‘Meet up’ feature on Snapchat means a user can get directions to a friend’s exact location via the ‘Snap map’. Like other map apps, this feature then shows the route and how long it will take to reach them. Whilst the intention behind the feature is to make it easy for offline family and friends to find each other and meet up, it is possible that the feature can be misused by others on the platform. Ensure your child is only connecting with known friends on Snapchat and remind them that they should only ever share their location details with people they know and trust. Talk to your child about the risks of sharing their location with people they do not know and encourage them to talk to you if they have been asked to share their location or have experienced unwanted visits from people on the platform.

User behaviour

In common with other popular social apps, Snapchat has a range of features which allow users to share content in a range of ways. Have a conversation with your child to help them understand what is and is not appropriate for them to share online and the lasting impact that anything they post may have on themselves and their future. The ‘My eyes only’ and ‘Disappearing message’ feature that Snapchat is known for can also give children a false sense of security about sharing.  It is important to explain to children that all content can be screenshotted, saved and widely shared.  If a ‘Story’ or a ‘Snap’ is screenshotted, the user who made or sent the post is alerted but this does not prevent the other user from being able to save the image. Users must therefore really think about the content they share and consider whether they would be happy for everyone they know to see it. 

Design, data and costs

As with many other apps, Snapchat collects significant data from children and does serve adverts and influencer content. It can be compulsive for children, particularly concerning the ‘popularity contest’ feature of the app known as ‘Snapstreaks’. This feature allows children to share and demonstrate the strengths of their friendships with each other based on how often they communicate via the app. It is important to talk to children about real friendships and how ‘Snapstreaks’ are simply designed to keep users on the platform, rather than to gauge the quality of a friendship.

Whilst Snapchat is a free app, Snapchat users are invited to subscribe to Snapchat+. For a fixed monthly amount, users can access additional features such as being able to pin best friends and see users who have rewatched your story. This may be very compelling for keen Snapchat users who want to experience the additional features. Remind younger users that Snapchat subscriptions are just another way to try and keep users on the platform and make money.

Snapchat additionally encourages users to buy ‘Snap Tokens’ to purchase in-app gifts as a way of supporting their favourite creators, or alternatively in-app goods. This may also prove very tempting for young people who may want to feel noticed by a particular creator. Remind your child that like Snapchat subscriptions, Snap Tokens are another way that Snapchat makes money.

Tips for keeping your child safe

Additional tips

Snapchat offers a ‘Here for you’ service which provides in-app support to users who may be experiencing mental health issues. This can be found in the ‘Support’ section within the settings menu.

Snapchat has launched Snapchat Family Centre within the app, where parents and carers can link their account to their child’s. The aim of the ‘Family centre’ is to help support teens as they begin their social media journey. Features in ‘Family centre’ include:

• parents and carers can view their child’s friends list
• parents and carers can monitor who their child is talking to and how often they are talking but without seeing the content of the message
• parents and carers can report abuse or accounts that they have concerns about
• parents and carers can also see their teen’s privacy and safety settings including story settings, contact settings, and whether their teens are sharing their location on SnapMaps
• for transparency, teens can see a mirrored view of what their parents and carers can see in ‘Family centre’

Snapchat has published its own guidance about My AI. For more information about ChatGPT read the ‘In the Know’ guide.