Executive Summary:
Snapchat has announced new safety features aimed at improving parental oversight and ensuring teen user safety. Key updates include the ability for parents to request real-time location sharing through Snap Map, with teens able to reciprocate by sharing their live location back. This feature aims to reassure parents of their child’s whereabouts while maintaining a non-intrusive balance. Parents will also gain visibility into who their teens are sharing location data with, fostering informed conversations about privacy and safety.
In addition, Snapchat is introducing “Travel Notifications,” which will alert parents when their teen leaves or arrives at designated locations, such as home or school. Regular reminders will prompt users to review and update their location-sharing settings, ensuring that the app remains aligned with users’ current preferences and relationships.
These new tools expand Snapchat’s Family Center, which already allows parents to monitor who their teens interact with on the platform. Given Snapchat’s popularity among teens—used by 60% of U.S. teenagers according to Pew Research—these enhancements position the platform as a more trusted and family-friendly tool.
The updates will be rolled out in the coming weeks, marking another step in Snapchat’s effort to improve safety and communication between teens and their families.
