Today Snapchat is rolling out a new feature, known as Family Center, to help parents gain better visibility into how teens use the social networking app. To use the new Family Center, parents or guardians will need to install Snapchat on their own device to link their account to their teens through an opt-in invite process.
The move by Snapchat follows several other social media outlets implementing similar parental controls, this includes teen favorites TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Snapchat Introduces Family Center to Help Parents and Guardians
According to reports from TechCrunch, Snapchat announced the new features months in advance. Once Family Center is configured, parents or guardians will be able to see which accounts the teen is having conversations with through the app over the past several days. Parents or guardians will not be able to view the content of the message. Additionally, they will also be able to view the teen’s friend list, while also being able to report potential abuse. Reports of potential abuse arrive to Snap’s Trust and Safety team for review.
Parents are able to access the new Family Center through the app’s Profile Settings (Click on your profile icon in the tap-left corner and then click the gear icon in the top-right corner on the follow page), or through searching for “family center” or related terms through the app’s search feature (top-left corner).
As Snapchat is not meant for individuals under 13, the new Family Center is only meant for parents/guardians and teens aged 13 through 18. The new launch arrives after many social media networks received pressure to better protect minors. Social media giants are also following new E.U. laws, such as the Digital Services Act.
Making the Decision
For parents and guardians, the new Family Center will provide some insight into a teen’s use of the app, however, Snapchat is still largely maintaining the user’s privacy.
Snap maintains that the company will introduce further content controls for parents and guardians, as well as the ability for teens to notify their parents when they report an account or content to Snap’s safety team.
Being a teenager isn’t easy, and being a parent of one is likely just as hard if not harder. When it comes to social media, there’s a lot of garage out there. Maintaining clear lines of communication can often be important when navigating social media, especially amongst parents and guardians of teens.
What do you think about Snap’s new Family Center? Do you plan on implementing it for your teens? Let us know in the comments.