- By Prateek Levi
- Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:10 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Snapchat has recently introduced an update that will give more controls to parents over what their teens are doing or get to do on the app. A new update in the Family Center now allows parents to gain more insight into their teenagers' activity while making sure private conversations stay private. This comes at the backdrop of rising concerns of children and teens online; its global rollout will also include India.
The company has expressed that these new settings and updates aim to lower direct surveillance and stimulate healthy conversations between teens and parents. Family Center is now being showcased as a guidance tool that helps families engage in conversations about safety online and safe behaviour.
Location Sharing And Safety Alerts
Snap Map has also become more transparent. Parents can check whether their teen is sharing their live location with friends. This doesn’t mean real-time tracking. It simply shows location-sharing settings, opening the door for healthier conversations around online boundaries and safety.
On top of that, Snapchat is introducing proactive safety nudges. If certain activity patterns raise red flags, parents may get alerts that prompt a discussion rather than an automatic action. The focus stays on awareness and conversation, not surveillance.
New Insights Into Teen Activity
Snapchat’s Family Center is getting a smarter upgrade. Parents can now see which friends their teen has interacted with the most over the past week. Snapchat is clear that message content stays private. What parents get instead is a high-level view of communication trends, making it easier to spot sudden changes or unusual patterns early. The idea, according to the company, is to offer parents visibility without crossing into teens’ personal space.
Teen Safety as a Priority
Snapchat has introduced these changes as a part of its broader commitment to teen safety. The company is also working towards proper content moderation, in-app reporting and age-appropriate settings. This has been a major concern, as the company has in the past faced global scrutiny over the protection of young users.
Availability
These features are rolling out gradually across regions, and in order to access the updates, parents and teens must link their accounts with the app. Snapchat aims to keep it straightforward and promote safe online behaviour and oversight by parents that doesn't feel like an invasion.