Snapchat Empowers Parents with Teen Screen Time and Friend Insights
Snap has introduced new parental controls for its Snapchat app, just two days after settling a lawsuit focused on social media addiction and mental health issues. The new features are part of Snapchat’s “Family Center” tool, which aims to provide parents with insights into their teens’ screen time and social interactions.
New Features in Snapchat’s Family Center
The enhanced Family Center allows parents and guardians to monitor the average daily time their teen spends on Snapchat over the previous week. They can view how this time is distributed across different app sections, including:
- Chatting
- Snapping
- Creating content with the camera
- Using Snap Map
- Watching Spotlight and Stories
In addition, parents can see new friends that their teens have added, along with how their teen knows these individuals. This includes connections such as mutual friends, saved contacts, or shared communities.
Enhancing Parental Confidence
According to Snap, these features provide “trust signals” for parents. This information aims to foster productive discussions between parents and teens about their online friendships. If a parent encounters an unfamiliar new friend, they will have the necessary details to engage in a conversation.
Background on Family Center
Launched in 2022, the Family Center was a response to growing regulatory pressure concerning the safety of minors on social media platforms. Over time, Snap has expanded this suite of parental monitoring tools, which now includes:
- Viewing recent interactions
- Setting time restrictions
- Blocking access to specific features, such as the My AI chatbot
Legal Context and Ongoing Concerns
The introduction of these parental controls follows a lawsuit settlement involving Snap and a former user who alleged that social media design contributes to addiction and mental health issues. The case named other industry giants like Meta, YouTube, and TikTok, with jury selection set to proceed against them. Snap remains a defendant in ongoing litigation regarding social media addiction.
Concerns about the impact of Snapchat on teenagers’ mental health were voiced by employees nearly a decade ago. However, Snap has countered that such claims have been taken out of context.
