Is Snapchat Safe for Teens?

By some measures, Snapchat is the most popular app for teens. Anecdotally, teens in my life tell me they don’t text each other anymore; they Snap. But is Snapchat safe for teens? Let’s take a look. 

What is Snapchat? 

Snapchat is a photo- and video-centric social media platform. Users can: 

• Share pictures or videos (known as Snaps) with friends and family.
• View trending stories from brands and public accounts (called Spotlight). 
• Message friends. 
• Store stories or Snaps in a passcode-protected vault.
• Share their location with friends.
• Video chat with up to 15 friends at once.

What are the risks to teens from using Snapchat? 

AI

My AI, Snapchat’s AI chatbot, is turned on by default, leaving teens exposed to privacy concerns such as targeted ads and stored chats. Snapchat has added filters for teens using My AI since its initial messy launch, but the possibility of inappropriate responses remains. 

Drug dealers 

The Drug Enforcement Agency has identified Snapchat as a platform where criminal drug networks operate. Teens have died after purchasing drugs laced with fentanyl through Snapchat, and the company faces dozens of lawsuits from families. 

Difficult for parents to monitor 

• Disappearing messages make it difficult to monitor your child’s communication. 
• Snapchat’s My Eyes Only is a hidden, passcode-protected vault where your child can hide Snaps or Stories. 
• Snapchat’s parental controls let you see who your child is chatting with in the app, but provide no insight into content. (For that, you’d need BrightCanary monitoring.) 

Addictive 

Snapstreaks, disappearing content, and infinite scroll put teen users at risk of addictive behavior. The company faces numerous ongoing lawsuits alleging that Snapchat is not only aware of this risk, but that its product is designed to drive compulsive use by minors. 

Unhealthy beauty standards

Snapchat’s filters and editing tools let users finesse their appearance to such a drastic degree that it’s greatly altered the way teens — particularly girls — view beauty standards, negatively impacting their happiness and self-esteem. 

Does Snapchat have teen accounts? 

Snapchat has enhanced protections for teens, including newly released safety measures for users 13–15. Highlights include: 

• Enhanced friend-request filtering.
• Teens are blocked from strangers’ search results.
• No public posting option for teens 13–15, and limited public posting for 16–17 year olds. 

Does Snapchat have parental controls? 

Snapchat offers these parental controls through Family Center: 

• View your teen’s friends. See a list of their new and existing friends and how they may be connected. 
• See who your teen communicates with. View who they’ve chatted with on the app over the past seven days and how frequently they’ve interacted with them. 
• Get insight into their usage. See how much time your teen has spent on Snapchat over the past week, including a breakdown by each feature. 
• Report concerning accounts. You can help your teen report suspicious behavior, or report it on their behalf.
• Track their location. You can request to see your teen’s location and share yours with them. 
• Disable My AI replies. Prevent your teen from chatting with Snapchat’s AI chatbot and block My AI from viewing and storing their messages. 

How to view your child’s messages in Snapchat

Unfortunately, Snapchat’s Family Center only shows you who your child has been chatting with and how often, not the content of their messages. 

Most third-party parental monitoring apps don’t work with Snapchat on Apple devices, but BrightCanary has you covered. You can use BrightCanary to view everything your child types on Snapchat (and all platforms). You’ll also get customizable, real-time alerts to any red flags. 

How old do you have to be to use Snapchat? 

U.S. users must be 13 to use Snapchat.

Does Snapchat have age verification? 

Users must self-attest their date of birth, but Snapchat has no additional age verification, and it’s easy for kids to fib about their age.

Is Snapchat safe for 13-year-olds?

Just because your child can use Snapchat, doesn’t mean they should. 

Common Sense Media advises teens to wait until at least 16 before using Snapchat, which is older than their recommendation for other social media platforms. They cite disappearing messages and the app's reputation for sexting, among other concerns. 

After years of reviewing and writing about social media, I agree: Snapchat isn’t safe for 13-year-olds. The platform has made progress toward safety, but the remaining risks are simply not worth it. It’s best to wait.  

How to help your child use Snapchat safely 

If you decide to let your child use Snapchat, use these tips to help them do so more safely: 

• Set up Family Center. Check out our guide for instructions. 
• Monitor their use. BrightCanary monitors everything your child types on Snapchat and alerts you to any red flags. 
• Share your concerns with your teen. The best approach to safety is a collaborative one. Explain to your teen that your goal is to help them stay safe. Check in with them about how they feel after using Snapchat, and make it clear they can come to you with any concerns. 

Bottom line: Is Snapchat safe for teens?

Snapchat’s teen safety features and parental controls allow for a reasonably locked-down experience, but remaining risks such as unhealthy beauty standards, addiction risk, and difficulty monitoring their use make it unsafe for teens under 16. 

If your child uses Snapchat, you should set up parental controls, explain the risks, and monitor their use with BrightCanary.

Related posts:

Is Snapchat Better Than Texting or Social Platforms? How Kids Use Snapchat How to Use Snapchat Family Center Is Snapchat or Instagram Safer? The Snapchat Snap Map and How to Keep Your Child’s Location Private