Does Snapchat Have Parental Controls? Family Center Explained

If your child has asked for Snapchat, you're probably wondering what you can do about it. I'm not a parent-controls expert, but I do know how much it helps to have the official steps in one place, in plain English, before you decide anything.

Everything below comes from Snapchat's own parents site and help centre. Snapchat updates the app often, so if a screen looks slightly different on your phone, follow the on-screen prompts.

What Snapchat Family Center is

Snapchat's name for its parental controls is Family Center. Snapchat describes it as an in-app tool that gives parents and caregivers insight into how their teens use Snapchat, and lets you adjust key settings. It's designed to do that without showing the content of their private conversations.

That last point matters. Family Center is about who your teen is talking to and a handful of settings. It doesn't show what was said.

What you need before you set up Snapchat Family Center

• Snapchat on your own phone, with your own account and the latest version of the app.
• Your teen's username, so you can become Snapchat friends.
• Your teen's agreement, because they have to opt in.

Snapchat's parents page says to download Snapchat from the App Store or Google Play, sign up, and then ask each other for your usernames. Search for each other using the search bar at the top left of the Camera screen, and accept each other's friend requests.

Finding Family Center in the Snapchat app

Snapchat's help centre gives three ways in:

• Search: type family, safety or parent into the search bar at the top of the app.
• Profile: tap your Bitmoji or Story icon to open My Account, then scroll to Family Center under the My Friends section and tap it.
• Settings: in My Account, tap the gear icon, scroll to App and Privacy, then tap Family Center.

Inviting your teen into Snapchat Family Center

1. Open Family Center and go through the set-up process.
2. When you reach the invitation screen, pick your teen from your recent friends or search for their name.
3. Tap Send Invitation.
4. Ask your teen to open the new Chat from you and tap Accept.

Snapchat says the invitation arrives as a direct Chat message from you, and your teen has to view and accept it to opt in. Like any Snapchat conversation, that message deletes either immediately or 24 hours after your teen has viewed it, depending on their settings. So Snapchat suggests reminding them in person. Once they accept, you'll both be notified.

What parents can see and do with Snapchat parental controls

Snapchat's parents page lists these Family Center features:

• See your teen's existing and new friends, and how they may know them.
• See who they're chatting with.
• See the average time they spend on the app and how that breaks down across features.
• Request their location and share yours in return, if you both want to.
• Report accounts confidentially, or file a report on your teen's behalf.

On the chat list, Snapchat's help centre says you can see who your teen has chatted with in the last 7 days under Recent Conversations. That includes one-to-one and group conversations, even ones your teen has since cleared, blocked or unfriended. You see who, not what was said.

Limiting sensitive content with Snapchat Family Center

1. Open Family Center.
2. Scroll to Settings at the bottom of the page and tap to expand it.
3. Turn on the Hide Sensitive Content toggle.

Snapchat says this limits sensitive or suggestive content in places like Stories and Spotlight. It's honest enough to add that no filter is perfect, so some posts may still slip through. A setting is a help, not a guarantee, which is a good reason to keep talking to your child.

What Snapchat Family Center doesn't do

• It doesn't show you the content of private conversations.
• It needs your teen to say yes. Nobody can be added without opting in.
• It isn't a replacement for a chat about who they talk to and what to do if something feels wrong.

Snapchat's parents FAQ adds that teens must be at least 13 to have an account, and that by default a teen's contact settings are limited to friends and phone contacts. It also says location-sharing is off by default and can only be shared with accepted friends.

Reporting a worry about your teen's Snapchat contacts

If something worries you, use the flag icon in Family Center to report an account, or use Snapchat's reporting tools in the app. If you think your child or anyone else is in danger, contact the police as well as reporting it to Snapchat.

Friends sometimes ask whether a message your teen sent can be taken back. If that comes up, my guide to deleting messages on Snapchat explains what the other person sees. And since many parents wonder what is visible to friends, whether Snapchat notifies someone when you replay a Snap is worth a read together.

If you can't find or use Snapchat Family Center

1. Update Snapchat to the newest version.
2. Search for family, safety or parent in the search bar.
3. Check that you and your teen are friends on Snapchat.
4. Check that your teen has seen the invitation, since it deletes after they view it.
5. Visit Snapchat's help centre and search for Family Center for troubleshooting articles.

Frequently asked questions

Does Snapchat have parental controls?

Yes. Snapchat's in-app tool for parents is called Family Center. It needs a Snapchat account for the parent and an opt-in from the teen.

Can parents read their teen's Snapchat messages?

No. Snapchat says Family Center doesn't show the content of private conversations. Parents can see who their teen has chatted with in the last 7 days.

Does my teen have to agree to Family Center?

Yes. Snapchat says the teen must view and accept the invitation to opt in.

How do I find Family Center on Snapchat?

Search for family, safety or parent in the app, or open My Account and look under My Friends, or open Settings and look under App and Privacy.

Can I limit sensitive content for my teen?

Yes. In Family Center Settings, turn on Hide Sensitive Content. Snapchat says no filter is perfect.

What age can use Snapchat?

Snapchat's parents FAQ says teens must be at least 13 to create a Snapchat account.