Snapchat Parental Controls & Safety Settings: Essential Advice for 2025

Snapchat, or Snap, remains a dominant social media platform, particularly popular among teenagers and increasingly, with younger demographics. While Snapchat’s official minimum age is 13 years old.

It’s crucial for parents to understand that age verification is not fool proof, and many children below this age gain access. Given its dynamic nature and the introduction of advanced features like AI, proactive parental engagement with the app’s safety settings is more critical than ever in 2025.

 

Age Rating: PG (Parental Guidance)

Strong Recommendation: Children under 13 years should NOT use Snapchat. Even for those over 13, active parental supervision and the implementation of these settings are vital.

 

 

Key Restrictions and Areas of Concern for Parents in 2025

• Family Centre Integration: Snapchat’s primary parental control hub.
• Data Sharing & Privacy: Controlling who sees what, especially location and personal info.
• Identity Theft & Scams: Vigilance against phishing and deceptive content.
• Inappropriate Content: Exposure to mature, explicit, or harmful material.
• Location Sharing (Snap Map): Real-time location visibility.
• Social Networking: Interactions with strangers or unverified individuals.
• Cyberbullying & Harassment: Tools for reporting and blocking.
• AI Interactions (My AI): Risks associated with chatbot conversations.
• Content Moderation: Filtering sensitive content on public feeds like Discover and Spotlight.

 

 

Understanding Snapchat’s Evolving Terminology in 2025

Familiarizing yourself with these terms is fundamental to navigating Snapchat’s features effectively.

Snapcode

• • A unique scannable QR-like code allowing quick friend adding, content access, or business profiles.
  • 2025 Safety Tip: Ensure children understand not to share their Snapcode widely, as it can allow direct, unvetted connections.

 

 

Snap Map

• • Enables real-time location sharing with selected friends and displays public Snaps from various locations. It also shows “Actionmojis” (Bitmojis) of friends’ activities.
  • CRITICAL 2025 ADVICE: THIS SETTING SHOULD ALWAYS BE SET TO GHOST MODE FOR ALL YOUNG USERS (under 18). Location sharing, even with friends, carries significant privacy and safety risks.

 

Snap

• • A photo or short video taken and shared. Snaps sent directly to friends typically disappear after being viewed.
  • 2025 Relevance: The ephemeral nature can create a false sense of security; Snaps can still be screenshotted or recorded by another device.

Story

• • A collection of Snaps posted for friends or the public to view for 24 hours before disappearing. Stories can be saved as “Memories.”
  • 2025 Safety Tip: Pay close attention to “View My Story” settings to control audience visibility.

 

Snapstreak

• • The consecutive number of days two users have sent Snaps to each other.
  • 2025 Relevance: Can create pressure for continuous engagement, potentially leading to anxiety, excessive screen time, and a fear of missing out (FOMO).

 

Friendship Profile

• • A private space between two Snapchat friends, holding saved Snaps, shared memories, and “Charms” (visual representations of their friendship).

 

Spotlight

• • Snapchat’s public content platform for short, entertaining videos from users worldwide, similar to TikTok. Content is moderated but can still contain sensitive material.
  • 2025 Safety Tip: Family Center allows parents to restrict sensitive content on Spotlight.

 

My AI

• • Snapchat’s experimental AI chatbot, available to users (especially Snapchat+ subscribers, rolling out to all). It can chat, answer questions, and offer suggestions.

 

CRITICAL 2025 ADVICE

This feature is a new frontier for online safety. Discuss with your child the limitations of AI, the importance of critical thinking regarding AI-generated information, and privacy concerns. Parents can now disable My AI for their teen via Family Centre.

 

 

Advanced Safety Measures & Parental Controls for 2025

Snapchat’s Family Centre is now the central hub for parental supervision, allowing parents to see their teen’s friend list and who they’ve messaged in the past 7 days (without viewing message content).

 

Set Up and Utilize Snapchat Family Centre (Mandatory for Parents)

Family Centre is your primary tool for oversight. Both parent and child must have Snapchat accounts, and the child must accept the invitation.

• Ensure you (the parent) have your own Snapchat account.
• Open the Snapchat App (on your device).
• Tap your Profile Icon (Bitmoji/person icon) in the top-left corner.
• Tap the Settings Cog Wheel in the top-right corner.
• Scroll down to “Privacy Controls” and select “Family Center.”
• Tap “Get Started” and follow the prompts.
• Send an Invitation to Your Child: Type your child’s Snapchat username and tap “Send Invitation.”
• Child Must Accept: On your child’s device, the invitation will appear as a message in their chat with you. Your child must accept this invitation. (Note: The child must be under 18; the parent must be at least 25).

 

 

Once connected via Family Centre, you can –

• View your teen’s friend list.
• See who your teen has communicated with (sent Snaps/messages) in the last 7 days. (You cannot read the content of messages).
• Restrict Sensitive Content on Discover and Spotlight for your child.
• Report concerning accounts directly through Family Centre.
• Disable My AI for your teen.

 

 

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on ALL Accounts

This is a critical security measure to prevent unauthorized access.

• Open the Snapchat App.
• Tap the Profile Icon (Bitmoji) in the top-left corner.
• Tap the Settings Cog Wheel in the top-right corner.
• Scroll to “Security” and select “Two-Factor Authentication.”
• Tap “Continue” and follow the prompts.
• Strongly advise using an Authentication App (e.g., Google Authenticator, Authy) for stronger security over SMS verification.

 

Rigorously Adjust Privacy and Location Settings

These control who can interact with your child and see their location.

• Open the Snapchat App.
• Tap the Profile Icon (Bitmoji) in the top-left corner.
• Tap the Settings Cog Wheel in the top-right corner.
• Scroll down to “Privacy Controls.”
• “Contact Me”:

• • Select this option. For ALL young users, choose “My Friends” (default for teens under 18). This prevents strangers from sending messages or Snaps.

• “View My Story”:

• • Select “View My Story.” For young users, choose “My Friends” or “Custom.” Avoid “Everyone” to prevent public sharing of your child’s Story. (Users under 16 cannot make their profiles public by default).

• “See Me in Quick Add”:

• • Select “See Me in Quick Add.” This feature suggests your child to friends of friends and other connections.
  • For enhanced privacy, DESELECT this option (turn off). This makes it harder for strangers to find and add your child.

• “See My Location” (Snap Map Settings):

• • Select “See My Location.”
  • ACTIVATE “Ghost Mode.” Ensure this is ENABLED for ALL young users. This hides their real-time location on Snap Map from everyone.
  • Also review “Who Can See My Location” (even with Ghost Mode active, it’s good to know options) and “Allow Friends to Request My Location” – this should be DISABLED.
  • CRITICAL WARNING: WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND AGAINST SHARING ANY LOCATION INFORMATION FOR MINORS ON SNAPCHAT, REGARDLESS OF THE SETTING.

 

 

Manage Notification Settings

Minimize distractions and reduce pressure to constantly engage.

• Open the Snapchat App.
• Tap the Profile Icon (Bitmoji) in the top-left corner.
• Tap the Settings Cog Wheel in the top-right corner.
• Select “Notifications.”
• Review each notification type individually. Disable non-essential notifications like “Friend Suggestions,” “Memories,” “Message Reminders,” “Creative Effects,” “Best Friend Message Sounds,” and anything that might encourage constant app use or late-night engagement.

 

 

Restrict My AI Access (via Family Centre)

• As a parent enrolled in Family Centre:
• Go to Family Centre in your (parent’s) Snapchat settings.
• Find “My AI” under “Recent Conversations” (or a dedicated My AI section if updated).
• Use the toggle to disable My AI for your teen. My AI will then be blocked from responding to your teen’s queries. (Note: The teen may still be able to send messages to My AI, but it won’t process them).

 

 

Disable Targeted Advertising

Limit personalized ads shown to your child.

• Open the Snapchat App.
• Tap the Profile Icon (Bitmoji) in the top-left corner.
• Tap the Settings Cog Wheel in the top-right corner.
• Scroll down to “Features.”
• Select the “Ads” option.
• Select “Advert Preferences.”
• Deselect the following targeted advertising options (often enabled by default):

• • “Audience-Based”
  • “Activity-Based”
  • “Third-Party Ad Networks”

 

 

Utilize the Safety Centre & Reporting Tools

Empower your child (and yourself) to report inappropriate content or behaviour.

• Accessing the Safety Centre:
  1. Open the Snapchat App.
  2. Tap the Profile Icon (Bitmoji) in the top-left corner.
  3. Tap the Settings Cog Wheel in the top-right corner.
  4. Scroll down to “Support” and choose “I have a Safety Concern” or “I have a Privacy Concern.”

• How to Report Content (Snap, Story, Account):

• • For a Snap/Story: Press and hold on the offending Snap/Story, then select “Report Snap” or “Report.” Follow instructions.
  • For an Account: Press and hold on the Snapchatter’s name (in chat or profile), select “More,” then “Report.” Follow instructions.
  • Reporting via Family Centre: Parents can confidentially report accounts their teen has interacted with directly from Family Centre.

• Hide Discover Content:

• • On the Discover screen, press and hold the title of the content, then select “Hide” or “Unsubscribe.”

 

 

Beyond Settings: Proactive Parental Engagement for 2025

Settings are a crucial starting point, but ongoing communication and vigilance are paramount.

• Open Dialogue: Maintain an open, non-judgmental dialogue with your child about their online experiences, who they’re talking to, and any content that makes them uncomfortable.
• Lead by Example: Model responsible online behaviour.
• Encourage Offline Activities: Balance screen time with healthy offline hobbies and social interactions.
• Recognize Warning Signs: Be alert to changes in mood, secretiveness, excessive screen time, or distress that might indicate online harm.
• Know When to Seek Help: If you suspect cyberbullying, grooming, or serious mental health impacts, seek professional help (e.g., school counsellor, child psychologist, online safety organizations).

By actively managing these settings and fostering an environment of trust and open communication, you can help your child navigate Snapchat more safely in 2025.

 

© 2025 Children of the Digital Age. All rights reserved. | Last Updated: July 2025