Snapchat’s New Parental Tools Are a Step Up for Kids’ Safety…or Are They?

Published: January 26, 2026

social media, snapchat — Photo by Ingmar on Unsplash

By Michaela Gordoni

Snapchat finally implemented some new parental tools, but it might be too little too late.

Snapchat’s Family Center update features daily usage insights, a smarter friend-list contact and new safety and learning resources, She Knows reported.

“Family Center is designed to reflect the dynamics of real-world relationships by providing visibility into what teens are doing and allowing parents to adjust key settings, without showing the content of their private conversations,” Snapchat wrote in a press release this week. “We work diligently to protect teens on our platform while giving parents and caregivers the tools to play an active role in their teen’s experience on Snapchat.”

Usage insights show parents how long their children are on Snapchat each day and how much time they spend on each feature, like chatting or sending snaps.

The updated friend-list insights include “trust signals” that explain how a new friend might have connected with your child — like whether they have mutual friends or if it’s an unknown contact.

One of the new learning resources is an interactive course called “The Keys: A Guide to Digital Safety.” It could be a good thing to check out before you give your child the okay to use Snapchat.

The Family Center also lets parents limit sensitive content, disable the “My AI” chatbot, share location and report accounts on their child’s behalf.

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These updates come after a lawsuit between Snap and a 19-year-old was settled on Jan. 21. The teen claimed the platform is designed to addict teens. The results of the settlement were not disclosed, but Snap said they settled amicably, Tech Crunch reported.

The same day, Snapchat announced it will accept applications for a teen council for digital well-being.

Snapchat wrote, “At Snap, we’re interested in learning about their ideas for helping teens thrive online and continuing to make platforms like Snapchat places for creativity and connection with friends and family. We also recognize that being online can present real risks, especially in the evolving age of artificial intelligence. We want to foster young people’s understanding of those risks and help equip them with the skills and tools to address them and assist others in their communities.”

The council will bring teens ages 13-16 together each month to host group projects and get their input. Teen members will attend a two-day summit and a public-facing capstone event. The application window closes on March 20 at 5 p.m.

All of these updates and initiatives may be good, but Snapchat hasn’t addressed or changed its addictive design, and it’s still an app that prioritizes secrecy between senders and receivers — which isn’t ideal for kids and teens.

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