What do children and young people say to look out for:
32% of the children and young people who reviewed Snapchat thought that it can be risky. The main reasons they gave were:
- Strangers adding you
- You can’t control what you see when you open a Snapchat from someone else
- People can screenshot your Snapchats and then share them
Why young people like it:
The main things that young people told us they liked about this site were:
- It’s a fun way to communicate with friends
- The filters you can put on your photos
- Having streaks with friends (Snapstreaks count the number of days in a row that you and your friend have Snapchatted each other)
We asked parents whether they were asked to verify their phone number or email address to sign up to this site. We also asked them how easy or difficult it would be for a child to pretend to be older to sign up.
Parents say:
- “Signing up is far too easy and it is very easy for kids to pretend that they are older.” - Father of girls aged 4 and 13
We asked parents how easy it was to find out how to report unsuitable content, to find out if the site is moderated, to block other users and to hide or report an unwanted message or picture.
Parents say:
- “Fairly safe, easy to block unwanted Snapchatters.” - Mother of children aged 10 and 12
- “It is bad in blocking inappropriate content.” - Mother of boys aged 12 and 14
Young people say:
- 48% of young people who reviewed Snapchat said they know how to report on this site.
- 76% said they know how to block someone.
More information:
Read Snapchat’s page about blocking a friend here and about reporting here.
We asked parents how easy it was to find information about privacy and to change the settings to ensure the account is private.
Parents say:
- “I find there aren't many settings at all for Snapchat & trying to find anything out is extremely difficult.” – Mother of two
- “Use the restrictions to lock the account down as much as possible.” - Mother of children aged 8 and 10
Young people say:
- “If your privacy's not on, anyone can follow you.” - Girl, 13
- “If you turn off location settings, you can’t use filters, so you have to keep location settings on.” - Girl, 13
- “I don't know how to change the settings.” - Girl, 14
- 66% of young people who reviewed Snapchat said they know how to change their privacy settings on this site.
- 57% said they know how to turn off their location settings.
More information:
Visit Snapchat’s privacy page here.
We asked parents how easy it was to find out whether this site has rules or community standards, to find safety information for children and parents, and to find links to support services.
Parents say:
- “Not enough information is given about safety.” - Father of girls aged 4 and 13
- “Make sure you have the controls and make sure they understand the safety aspect and why you are doing it.” – Mother of two
More information:
Visit Snapchat’s safety centre here:
Read their parents’ guide, produced by Connect Safely, here.
There are some things that it’s best not to share with others, can you think what they might be?
