Parents can be notified when child arrives at school with Snapchat feature

Snapchat has announced a series of updates to Family Centre, its in-app hub of safety resources and tools for parents. The updates will see Snapchat’s Snap Map feature, used by more than 350 million people to share updates on their location with friends and family when out and about, integrated into Family Centre, via a series of location sharing updates.

Parents will be able to be receive notifications when their teen departs from, or arrives at, three specific locations on the Snap Map, which could be home, school, or the gym.

A new button in Family Centre will enable parents and caregivers to send a request to their teen for them to share their live location. It’s also easy for parents to share their location back – keeping everyone in the family on the same page.

Family Centre will even soon give parents visibility on their teen’s location-sharing selections, to see which friends their teen shares their location with on Snap Map, helping families have informed conversations about what sharing choices work best for them.

Features will roll out over coming weeks. Snapchat recently partnered with Childnet, to launch SnapSavvy - a parent's guide to online safety.

It includes tips on opening up conversations about online safety with teens, in the knowledge that for many parents, it can be a daunting thought to strike the right balance between helping their teens navigate the digital world in a safer way, whilst allowing them to retain their privacy.

TOP TIPS FOR TALKING TO YOUR TEENS ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

by Snapchat, in partnership with Childnet

1) TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOUR TEEN’S DIGITAL LIFE AND LET THEM KNOW YOU HAVE THEIR BACK. Regularly check in with your teen about their online activity and what apps they are using. Having a conversation with your teen at a place or time you both feel most comfortable will help you both open up, whether that’s in the car or walking around the shops. Let them know that you’re there for them and they won’t get into trouble if they have any concerns, questions or want to talk about something they have seen or experienced online. If your teen is about to have their first independent experiences online, ensure you set appropriate boundaries from the outset, and make a habit of checking in regularly.

2) FIND OUT HOW YOUR TEEN’S FAVOURITE APPS WORK. Ask your teen if they can show you how to use their favourite apps so you can familiarise yourself with how they work and which features your teen uses most. Talking about the positives of being online and remaining open-minded might help prevent your teen from becoming defensive or secretive.

3) EDUCATE ABOUT PRIVACY SETTINGS. Talk to your teen about the importance of protecting their personal information, particularly their devices and passwords. Help them understand the risks and potential consequences of sharing sensitive details online (such as their full name, address, school, or other contact information), and the need to set and maintain strong privacy settings.

4) AGREE ON BOUNDARIES AS A FAMILY. No one likes being told what to do, but agreeing guidelines for behaviour online, social media usage and screen time is important. Asking your teen what they feel is appropriate and coming to a compromise, will help them feel part of the decision-making process and help to ensure you are striking a healthy balance when it comes to technology use. You can also decide a timeframe for a review of these boundaries, so your teen knows that these can evolve as they get older.

5. USE PARENTAL CONTROLS BUT RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY. Parental controls are important safety features available on most social media apps and devices that allow parents or carers to supervise their child’s activity online. It’s important to be open with your teen about using these features. Talk to them about why parental controls are important and reassure them that you still want to respect their privacy. Snapchat’s Family Centre allows you to see who your teen is friends with and who they’ve recently been communicating with, without revealing the content of their conversations. You can also find further support on Childnet’s Parents and Carers resource sheet.

6. HELP YOUR TEEN BECOME AWARE OF MISINFORMATION. Talk to your teen about recognising misinformation, scams and clickbait, and the importance of verifying information with credible sources. Encourage them to question content that seems too good to be true or overly sensationalised.

WHAT IS SNAPCHAT’S FAMILY CENTRE?

• Family Centre is a Snapchat’s in-app suite of parental tools that allow parents and carers to see who their teen is friends with and who they’ve been recently communicating with, without seeing the content of teens’ messages.
• Think of it a bit like your teen having their friends round at your house, but you aren’t eavesdropping on their conversations.
• Family Centre also allows parents and carers to easily and confidentially report accounts that may be of concern to them, as well as the ability to restrict My AI and check the age their teen signed up as.
• This November, Snapchat is making several updates to Family Centre’s Snap Map integration - giving parents the ability to request their teen’s live location, and be notified when they arrive safely to key destinations, such as home or to school.
• You can find the latest updates to Family Centre on our dedicated parents site: parents.snapchat.com