Staying Safe with Snapchat for Teens
Popular amongst young teens, Snapchat has continually raised its appeal by offering alluring and highly interactive features. However, these features often come at the cost of security and privacy. From location-sharing maps to easily discoverable profiles, there is a lot for parents and teenagers to navigate.
Snapchat does offer some highly useful built-in features to protect its users, but they must be manually configured. Here is everything you need to know to ensure your teen is as safe as possible when using the app.
Limit Who Can See Your Snapchat Stories
When you create a Snapchat Story, it is vital to control who has access to view it. By default, your teen's posts might be visible to a much wider audience than they realize.
Adjusting Story Settings: Tap the profile or settings icon (often represented by a cog) in the top right corner. Scroll down to the "Who Can..." heading.
Restrict Viewers: Locate the "View My Story" option and ensure it is set strictly to My Friends or Custom. You should absolutely avoid choosing the "Everyone" option, as this opens up your teen's daily posts to complete strangers.
Securing Your Location with Ghost Mode
One of Snapchat's most controversial features is Snap Maps, which enables users to broadcast exactly where they are in the world in real-time.
To view the map, you pinch your fingers together as if zooming out from the main camera screen. If location sharing is left on, anyone on your friends list can track your precise movements.
Enable Ghost Mode: For better privacy, always ensure Ghost Mode is enabled. When this mode is active, nobody else can see your location on the map. You can access this by tapping the settings icon on the Snap Map screen and toggling Ghost Mode on.
Setting Up Login Verification
Losing a smartphone is a common occurrence for teenagers. If their device is lost or stolen, you want to ensure their private Snapchat account remains entirely locked down.
Two-Step Authentication: Tap the Snapchat profile icon, followed by the cog in the top right to access the account settings. Scroll down to Login Verification (or Two-Factor Authentication).
How it Works: This process requires both a unique code sent to your mobile device and your standard login details to open the app on a new device. It is a vital layer of security that prevents unauthorized access.
Managing Contacts and "Quick Add"
Snapchat makes it incredibly easy to connect with others, but that isn't always a positive thing when it comes to child safety. Parents should take the time to regularly look through their child’s Snapchat contacts together.
Who Can Contact Me: Under the "Who Can..." settings heading, specify who is allowed to contact your teen. Limit this so only confirmed My Friends are able to send direct snaps.
Be Wary of Add Friends: The "Add Friends" function allows users to add people via Snapcodes, shared lists, or even based on nearby physical proximity. This is a clear privacy concern. Be highly selective about who is added to the contacts list.
The Discover Page: Tapping the magnifying glass icon opens the global Snapchat Top Stories and Discover page. Be careful here, as there is a lot of inappropriate content available, along with dubious individuals looking to farm user information.
Reporting, Blocking, and Standing Up to Bullying
Just as with all social media platforms, things can sometimes go wrong. If your teen is uncomfortable with the content or messages someone is sending them, they need to know how to handle it.
Take Action: You can easily remove friends, block, or report other Snapchat users by long-pressing their name in the contact list or chat feed and selecting the appropriate option from the pop-up menu.
Gather Proof: Make sure you or your teen takes screenshots of any inappropriate content or cyberbullying before blocking the user. This evidence is crucial if you need to officially report the contact to Snapchat or school authorities.
Communication is Key: Tell your teen that if they ever feel unsafe, they should immediately tell a parent, guardian, teacher, or responsible adult. They should not respond to the sender and should always think critically before posting images of themselves or their location.