How to Set Up Snapchat Parental Controls

Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among teenagers. It allows users to share pictures and videos that disappear after being viewed. While this can be fun and exciting, it also comes with certain risks, such as exposure to inappropriate content, contact with strangers, or even cyberbullying. This is where Snapchat parental controls come in. Now, I’ll walk you through how to set up Snapchat parental controls, explain the different privacy settings, and introduce third-party apps that provide even more comprehensive monitoring.

Table of Contents

Solution 1. Use Built-In Privacy Settings to Set Snapchat Parental Controls

Snapchat offers a few built-in privacy settings that can help you control who can contact your child, view their posts, and see their location. These settings are easy to adjust and should be the first thing you set up when thinking about Snapchat safety.

Who Can Contact Me

This setting controls who can send Snapchat messages or Snaps to your child. Limiting contact to only friends can help protect your child from strangers.

How to set it up:

Open Snapchat and go to the Profile screen (tap on the Bitmoji icon in the top-left corner).
Tap the ‘Settings‘ icon in the top-right corner (gear symbol).
Scroll down to ‘PRIVACY CONTROLS‘ and tap on ‘Contact Me‘.
Set this to ‘Friends‘ or ‘Friends and Contacts‘ to limit interactions to only people your child knows.

Who Can View My Story

This setting determines who can view your child’s Snapchat Stories. You don’t want strangers seeing what your child shares.

How to set it up:

Open Snapchat and go to the ‘Settings‘ page.
Scroll down to ‘PRIVACY CONTROLS‘ and tap ‘View My Story‘.
Choose ‘My Friends‘ or ‘Custom‘ to limit access to your child’s Story. ‘My Friends‘ means only people they’ve accepted as friends can see their posts.

Who Can See My Location

Snapchat has a feature called Snap Map, which shows the real-time location of your child. You can prevent strangers from tracking your child’s movements.

How to set it up:

In ‘Settings‘, scroll down to ‘PRIVACY CONTROLS‘ and tap ‘Who can See My Location‘.
Set it to ‘My Friends‘, or you can enable ‘Ghost Mode’ to completely hide your kid’s location.

See Me in Quick Add

“See Me in Quick Add” is a privacy setting on Snapchat that controls whether or not your child’s profile can appear in the Quick Add section.

How to set it up:

In ‘Settings‘, scroll down to ‘PRIVACY CONTROLS‘ and tap ‘See Me in Quick Add‘.
Disable ‘See Me in Quick Add‘. It is a good way to reduce the chances of your child being contacted by people they don’t know, thus enhancing their privacy and safety.

These settings provide some control over who can interact with your child on Snapchat, but they’re not foolproof. If you want more comprehensive control over your child’s Snapchat activity, it’s time to consider using Snapchat’s Family Center or a third-party parental control app.

Solution 2. Use Snapchat’s Family Center

Snapchat has introduced a feature called the Family Center, which allows parents to have more visibility into their child’s account.

Key features of Snapchat Family Center:

View Your Teen’s Friends: Allows parents to see the list of people their teen is friends with on Snapchat.
See Who They’ve Messaged: Provides a glimpse into who your teen has been messaging over the last 7 days.
Restrict Sensitive Content: Lets parents limit their teen’s ability to view sensitive or inappropriate content in Snapchat’s Stories and Spotlight sections.
Report Abuse: Enables parents to help their teens report safety concerns or inappropriate behavior.

How to Set Up Snapchat Parental Controls in Family Center

Open Snapchat on your phone and go to ‘Settings‘.
Scroll down to ‘Family Center‘ and invite your teen to join. Your teen will receive an invitation card, and they must opt in to participate. Teens need to tap ‘Accept‘, and you’ll both be notified that the status of the invitation has been updated.
Once set up, you’ll be able to view your child’s friends list, see who they are messaging with and set Content Controls.

Solution 3. Use Third-Party Apps for Full Snapchat Parental Controls

Third-party apps are ideal for parents who want more control and visibility over their child’s online behavior. Snapchat’s built-in controls, like Family Center, are helpful, but they don’t allow parents to:

See the content of messages or media.
Track app usage or set time limits.
Monitor activities across multiple platforms.

With third-party apps, you can protect your child not just on Snapchat but across their entire phone, ensuring they’re safe online and offline.

1. KidsGuard Pro

KidsGuard Pro is an all-in-one parental control app designed to provide comprehensive monitoring of your child’s smartphone activity.

Snapchat Monitoring: Tracks Snapchat messages, photos, videos, and retrieves deleted content.
Real-Time Location Tracking: Monitors live GPS location with geofencing alerts and location history.
Social Media Monitoring: Supports tracking on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more.
Stealth Mode: Operates invisibly in the background without being detected.
Keylogger and App Tracking: Captures all keystrokes and tracks app usage for complete oversight.

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2. mSpy

mSpy is a powerful monitoring tool that gives parents full control over their child’s digital activities. From Snapchat monitoring to tracking texts, calls, and browsing history, mSpy ensures you have visibility into every aspect of your child’s phone usage.

Snapchat Monitoring: Provides full access to Snapchat messages, media, and friend interactions.
All-in-One Phone Monitoring: Monitors calls, texts, browsing history, and social media platforms.
Real-Time GPS Tracking: Tracks live location with geofencing alerts for added safety.
Keylogger Functionality: Records every keystroke, including passwords and searches.
Remote Control Features: Allows blocking of apps, websites, and managing phone activity remotely.

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3. SpyBubble

SpyBubble is a user-friendly and discreet monitoring app designed to help parents keep track of their child’s smartphone activity. With Snapchat tracking, SpyBubble lets you monitor messages, shared media, and friend interactions, ensuring your child’s safety on the platform.

Snapchat Monitoring: Tracks chats, shared media, and contacts on Snapchat.
Location Tracking: Monitors real-time GPS location and logs location history.
Browser and App Monitoring: Tracks browsing history and app usage to spot potential risks.
Stealth Mode: Operates silently without alerting the target device’s user.
User-Friendly Dashboard: Provides real-time updates and a simple interface for easy monitoring.

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These apps provide comprehensive monitoring not only for Snapchat but for all activities on your child’s phone, offering better control and oversight.

Snapchat Safety Checklist for Parent Controls

Here’s a step-by-step safety checklist to help your teen use Snapchat responsibly and securely:

1. Only Accept Friend Requests from People They Know

Teach your teen to only invite or accept friend requests from people they know in real life. Adding strangers increases the risk of inappropriate interactions or exposure to harmful content. Encourage them to review their Friends List regularly and remove anyone they don’t recognize or trust.

2. Choose a Safe and Anonymous Username

Help your teen select a username that does not include personal information, such as:

Age
Birthdate
Real name
Suggestive or inappropriate language

A safe username protects their privacy and prevents others from learning personal details about them.

3. Use an Accurate Birthdate

Ensure your teen enters their correct birthdate when signing up for Snapchat. This enables Snapchat to apply age-appropriate safety features that help protect younger users. For example, Snapchat restricts friend suggestions and sensitive content for users under 18.

4. Manage Location Sharing

Location sharing is off by default on Snapchat’s Snap Map, which is a great safety feature. If your teen decides to enable location sharing, ensure they only share it with trusted friends and family.

5. Encourage Open Communication

Let your teen know that there’s no such thing as a wrong question when it comes to their safety and well-being. Teach them to speak to a trusted adult if they encounter anything on Snapchat that makes them uncomfortable or raises concerns, such as:

Inappropriate messages
Bullying or harassment
Requests for sensitive information or images.

6. Explain the Importance of Confidential Reporting

Make sure your teen knows they can report any inappropriate behavior or content directly to Snapchat. Teach your teen how to report harmful content or accounts:

Tap and hold a message or Snap, select Report, and choose the reason.

7. Warn Against Sharing Sensitive Images or Information

Remind your teen to be very careful about what they share online, even with close friends or partners. They should never send or request private or sensitive images or share personal information (like home addresses, passwords, or financial details) on Snapchat or any platform.

Explain the potential risks of sharing private content, including:

Cyberbullying or blackmail.
Loss of control over their images.

8. Sign Up for Snapchat’s Family Center

Snapchat’s Family Center is an excellent tool for parents to gain visibility into their teen’s activity while respecting their privacy.

Conclusion on Snapchat Parental Controls

Keeping your child safe on Snapchat and other apps is very important. While Snapchat offers helpful tools like Family Center and privacy settings, these may not provide the level of insight and control many parents need. That’s where third-party apps like KidsGuard Pro, mSpy, and SpyBubble come in. These apps let you monitor Snapchat messages, photos, videos, and even deleted content, while also keeping track of your child’s overall phone activity, such as calls, texts, and location.

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Ultimately, the best approach combines technology with communication. Then you can create a safer digital environment for your child and give them the guidance they need to navigate social media responsibly.

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