Snapchat Safety 101

Help get your child set up safely with a new platform or app, with this quick reference guide.

What is it?

Snapchat is a messaging app where users send photos, videos, and messages that are designed to disappear after being viewed. It’s commonly used by young people for private, fast-paced communication with friends.

Users can:

Send 'Snaps' (photos/videos that disappear)
Chat one-on-one or in groups
Share Stories (visible for 24 hours)
Use Snap Map to see where friends are
Add friends through usernames, contacts, or quick add suggestions

Snapchat is private and conversational and designed for quick, ongoing communication. It can be harder for parents to see or monitor what's happening for their young person due to disappearing content.

For parents and caregivers the key thing to understand is that Snapchat is primarily a messaging platform, where most activity happens in private chats rather than public posts.

Why it's popular

Snapchat enables rangatahi to send quick, casual messages with friends, and it's popular because

Messages disappear so it feels more private
'Streaks' reward daily interactions
Filters, lenses, and creative tools give creative options for sharing images and videos
Snap Map lets friends see where others are

What to watch out for

Private messaging

Snapchat allows direct messaging, group chats, and, depending on settings, messages from people your child may not know. Because adding friends can be quick and casual, young people may end up connecting with a wider network than they realise.

Ask questions like, “Who do you usually snap with?” to understand who they’re interacting with. Talk about not adding people they don’t know and why that matters, and focus on keeping connections limited to real-life friends and people they trust.

Disappearing messages

Snapchat messages are designed to disappear after they’re viewed, which can reduce a sense of accountability. This can sometimes lead to riskier behaviour, as young people may feel like what they send won’t last.

Talk about how messages can still be saved, screenshotted, or shared and reinforce the idea that “nothing online is truly temporary,” even if it disappears from the app. Once content is shared online you lose control of where it goes.

Location sharing (Snap Map)

Snap Map can show your child’s real-time location to others, depending on their settings. While this can be useful for connecting with friends, it can also expose where they are if shared too widely.

Talk about who should be able to see their location and when it’s appropriate to share it. This is one of the most important Snapchat-specific risks to check and manage together.

Social pressure (streaks, replies)

Snapchat encourages frequent interaction through features like streaks (Snapstreaks), which track how many days in a row two people send each other snaps. While this can be fun, it can also create pressure to stay constantly connected and respond every day.

A streak starts when two people send snaps to each other daily for three days in a row, and a 🔥 emoji appears alongside their names. The number next to it shows how long the streak has lasted (for example, 🔥5 means five days, while 🔥100 means 100 days in a row.)

This can lead young people to send quick or meaningless snaps just to keep the streak going, and losing a streak may feel like letting someone down or damaging a friendship.

Reassure your child that it’s okay to miss a day, and not to prioritise streaks over real life. You might say, “It’s just a feature, it doesn’t measure how good a friendship is.” Normalising this helps reduce pressure and supports healthier use of the app.

Group chats and conflicts

Group chats on Snapchat can move quickly and sometimes escalate, especially if there are misunderstandings or disagreements. They can also involve exclusion or social drama, which can be difficult for young people to navigate.

Talk about how group chats feel for your child and what they notice happening in them. Encourage stepping away, muting, or leaving chats if they become overwhelming or uncomfortable.

5 minute safety settings

Sit together and work through settings to put some basic protections in place, and talk about why they're important.

These settings are designed to reduce contact with strangers, limit inappropriate content and protect privacy.

Note: Settings and menu options may look slightly different depending on your child’s device and account, but these controls are the most important to check.

Open Snapchat
Tap your child’s profile icon
Tap 'Settings' (⚙️)
Scroll to find 'Contact Me'

Set:

Contact Me → My Friends

This means that only approved friends can send messages or snaps. This is one of the most important settings to reduce contact from strangers.

Go to Settings (⚙️)
Tap 'View My Story'

Set:

Friends Only, or
Custom (to select specific people)

This prevents unknown users from viewing your child’s content.

Quick Add suggests your child to others and suggests new people to them.

Go to Settings (⚙️)
Find See Me in Quick Add

Turn OFF:

Show me in Quick Add

This reduces the chance of strangers adding or contacting your child.

Go to Settings (⚙️)
Tap See My Location

Set:

Ghost Mode (this is recommended and means no-one can see their location)

'My Friends' or 'Select Friends'

This controls who can see your child’s real-time location and is one of the most important Snapchat-specific settings.

Go to Settings (⚙️)
Tap 'Notifications'
Review message and friend-related notifications

Notifications can encourage frequent checking and engagement, and adjusting this setting can help reduce pressure to respond and manage screen time.

What else can help?

Support your child to navigate Snapchat safely...

Encourage your child to only add people they know in real life. It can be easy to accept friend requests without thinking, especially if the person seems familiar. Keeping their friend list limited to trusted people is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk and unwanted contact.
Snap Map can share your child’s real-time location, which many young people may not fully understand. Having this conversation early helps them make safer choices about when and how to share. Agree together on who (if anyone) should be able to see their location and when it’s appropriate.
Messages on Snapchat may disappear, but that doesn’t mean they’re truly gone. Content can still be saved, screenshotted, or shared with others. Help your child understand that what they send can still have a lasting impact, even if it disappears from view.
Streaks can feel very important to young people and may create pressure to respond every day. This can lead to constant checking or sending messages just to keep a streak going. Help them understand it’s okay to break a streak and that it doesn’t reflect the strength of a friendship.
Group chats can quickly become busy, overwhelming, or uncomfortable, especially if dynamics change. Young people may feel like they have to stay even when they don’t want to. Encourage them to mute or leave chats when needed and reassure them this is a normal and healthy choice.
Snapchat features and trends change quickly, and your child’s experience will evolve over time. Regular, low-pressure conversations help you stay connected to what they’re doing online. Stay curious with questions like, “What do you like about Snapchat?” to keep communication open.