Snapchat Rolls Out New Parental Control: Family Center
On Tuesday, August 9th, Snap Inc. launched its first family‑friendly tool on Snapchat. The Family Center lets parents peek at whom their teens are messaging—no spoilers on the actual conversation content, though.
Why Now?
Social media giants have been in the hot seat lately. Last October, Snap, TikTok and YouTube were called in by U.S. lawmakers to explain how their platforms might expose kids to bullying or get them into risky content. A month later, Instagram faced a Senate hearing after a whistleblower shared internal docs hinting that the app could damage teens’ mental health and body image.
What Parents Get
- Invite your teen to the Family Center—once they agree, you can see their friends list and all contacts they’ve reached out to in the past week.
- Spot any suspicious accounts and quietly flag them for extra scrutiny.
- Plainly, you’ll never see the private messages themselves.
Jeremy Voss, Snap’s head of messaging products, said the feature strikes a sweet spot: “It protects safety and well‑being, but still respects teens’ independence and privacy.”
What’s Next
The company is aiming to add more functions in the near future, including parental alerts when a teen reports abuse. The development is still underway, so keep your ear to the ground.
Pre‑Existing Safeguards
Snap already has teeniest‑friendly policies: users under 18 are private by default, and their profiles only appear as a “suggested friend” if you share mutual contacts. Age requirements? At least 13 years old.
Instagram’s Earlier Move
Instagram launched its own Family Center back in March, letting parents see who their teens follow and how long they spend scrolling
—and now Snapchat has joined the club.
