Snap, the parent company of Snapchat has announced new features to further protect kids between the age of 13-17 years from potential online risks. These features will begin to roll out in the coming weeks. The latest safeguards build on the protections that are already available to limit unwanted interactions or potentially risky contact on the platform.
What will these features do?
The new features are aimed to protect teens from being contacted by people they may not know in real life. They will also provide a more age-appropriate viewing experience on the content platform.
Along with a new strike system and new detection technologies, these features will also enable more effective removal of accounts that may be trying to market and promote age-inappropriate content.
“As a messaging platform for real friends, the goal is to help Snapchatters communicate with people that matter to them, and to ensure that the content they view on the app is informative, fun and age-appropriate,” the company said.
What are new features?
In-App Warnings: This feature will send a pop-up warning to a teen if someone tries to add them as a friend when they don’t share mutual contacts or the person isn’t in their contacts. The message will urge teens to carefully consider if they want to be in contact with this person.
Stronger friending protections: Snapchat already requires 13-to-17-year-olds to have several mutual friends in common with another user before they can show up in Search results. The company is now raising the required number of friends needed to show up in search.
Immediate banning of accounts: Snapchat does not allow harmful content such as sexual exploitation, pornography, violence, self-harm and misinformation on the platform. If an account is found engaging in this activity, it will be immediately banned.
“Our latest features are thoughtful in-app features that are designed to empower teens to make smarter choices, and talk openly about staying safe online. We’re committed to making sure Snapchat is a place where you can be creative and stay safe and above all, the safety and well-being of our community in India, which includes over 200 million users, is our top priority,” said Uthara Ganesh, head public policy-South Asia at Snap.
New tools for families
In addition to the new safeguards, Snap is also releasing new resources for families, which include an updated parents guide at parents.snapchat.com. The guide lists protections for teens, tools for parents and a new YouTube explainer series.
What will these features do?
The new features are aimed to protect teens from being contacted by people they may not know in real life. They will also provide a more age-appropriate viewing experience on the content platform.
Along with a new strike system and new detection technologies, these features will also enable more effective removal of accounts that may be trying to market and promote age-inappropriate content.
“As a messaging platform for real friends, the goal is to help Snapchatters communicate with people that matter to them, and to ensure that the content they view on the app is informative, fun and age-appropriate,” the company said.
What are new features?
In-App Warnings: This feature will send a pop-up warning to a teen if someone tries to add them as a friend when they don’t share mutual contacts or the person isn’t in their contacts. The message will urge teens to carefully consider if they want to be in contact with this person.
Stronger friending protections: Snapchat already requires 13-to-17-year-olds to have several mutual friends in common with another user before they can show up in Search results. The company is now raising the required number of friends needed to show up in search.
Immediate banning of accounts: Snapchat does not allow harmful content such as sexual exploitation, pornography, violence, self-harm and misinformation on the platform. If an account is found engaging in this activity, it will be immediately banned.
“Our latest features are thoughtful in-app features that are designed to empower teens to make smarter choices, and talk openly about staying safe online. We’re committed to making sure Snapchat is a place where you can be creative and stay safe and above all, the safety and well-being of our community in India, which includes over 200 million users, is our top priority,” said Uthara Ganesh, head public policy-South Asia at Snap.
New tools for families
In addition to the new safeguards, Snap is also releasing new resources for families, which include an updated parents guide at parents.snapchat.com. The guide lists protections for teens, tools for parents and a new YouTube explainer series.
