Is Snapchat Safe for Kids?

Updated – Originally published May 24, 2023

Snapchat wasn’t made for kids — but a lot of kids use it anyway. Disappearing messages, hidden content, and new features like “After Dark” stories make it easy for things to slip past parents. It’s one of the most popular apps among teens, but it comes with big risks for younger users—especially around privacy, body image, and inappropriate content. Here’s what parents need to know.

Since its launch in 2011, Snapchat has become a popular social media platform among young people. Kids aged 13 years old – 17 years old make up almost 20% of Snapchat’s user base. Snapchat also sports over 453 million daily active users.

Whether you’re familiar with Snapchat features or not, learning more about “Snap” will greatly benefit and protect children against cyberbullying, sextortion, and exposure to inappropriate content.

Is Snapchat Social Media?

Yes, absolutely. After Snapchat’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, was forced to testify before Congress in January 2024 regarding harms caused to teens on the platform, Snapchat tried to rebrand itself with a new campaign distancing itself from the label “social media.”

During his testimony, Spiegel recalled building Snapchat as an alternative to social media by making conversations private, temporary, and not subject to popularity metrics. 

However, trying to rebrand doesn’t take away from the fact that Snapchat fits the definition of social media perfectly — an online place where users create community and shared content. 

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a social media platform that allows users to share photos and videos — called Snaps — that disappear once viewed. The app has many features beloved by users. The app is free to download, with an optional premium plan called Snapchat+.

We will highlight some of those features below, but keep scrolling to learn more about the risks and dangers of Snapchat.

Camera

The main feature of Snapchat is its camera, which allows users to enhance videos and photos with filters, stickers, and other special effects.

Filters and Lenses

Lenses are augmented reality effects that use facial recognition technology to interact and respond to the user’s actions. Some examples include giving the user dog ears, or face-swapping two people.

Filters are image overlays that users can add after taking a snap. They can change brightness or color, and add text or graphics to images. Some examples can include adding the location where the picture was taken or the current time. 

Chat

Users are able to send pictures, videos, or text messages to friends within the app. These chats can be one-on-one or group chats with up to 100 friends. Voice and video calls are also available within this feature.

Stories

Stories are videos or pictures that a user chooses to share with all their Snapchat friends. Users are able to see and comment on friends’ stories as well. All stories disappear after a 24-hour period, but can be screen-recorded by viewers and shared online without the creator’s consent.

After Dark Stories

Snapchat has introduced “After Dark,” a feature that lets users post exclusive stories visible only at night. While it’s meant to be a fun twist on daily life, the nighttime-only access can encourage late-night phone use and raise red flags about privacy, especially if your child is staying up late to post or watch content when supervision is low.

Communities Feature

Snapchat’s Communities tool helps students at the same school connect via shared stories. Snapchat uses school email verification to confirm student status for its Communities feature, but this isn’t fully secure and may still have safety gaps, so parents should stay vigilant. 

While it can foster school spirit and peer bonding, it also opens the door to peer pressure, exclusion, or oversharing in a semi-public space. Parents should be aware of who can see these community posts and encourage kids to avoid sharing personal details.

Discover 

This section is algorithm-driven, and shows users content that Snapchat thinks they’ll enjoy. The content is created by snapchatters around the world who choose to share publicly, or companies, influencers, etc., who want exposure. 

Memories

Snapchatters have the option of saving their Snaps and stories to their personal account. They can choose to share the content with friends, or just keep it for themselves to revisit it indefinitely.

Snap Map

The Snap Map feature allows users to see where all of their Snapchat contacts are in real-time. Users can choose to share their location with specific friends or with everyone on their friend list. 

There is the option of ghost mode, where the user becomes invisible on the map but is still able to see friends’ locations. 

Snap Map uses heat maps to show high concentrations of Snapchatters, and also displays popular locations and restaurants.

My AI

Snapchat’s newest feature is a chatbot powered by ChatGPT, called My AI. Released in February 2023, My AI allows users to converse with their own personal AI, which can answer questions and offer advice.

Is Snapchat Safe for 12 Year Olds?

Snapchat’s minimum age is 13, but many kids under that age, especially 12-year-olds, still use the app by entering a fake birthdate. That’s why so many parents are asking: Is Snapchat safe for 11 or 12 year olds? 

The short answer is no. Snapchat is not safe for 12 year olds, even if they’re close to the app’s age requirement. With features like disappearing messages, location sharing, and public content, the app introduces risks that most preteens aren’t ready to handle.

7 Risks of Snapchat

Snapchat’s disappearing messages can vanish right after being read, or 24 hours later if the sender chooses that setting. This makes it difficult for parents to monitor what their kids are sharing or seeing. This, along with social media consumption, can open the door to many dangers. Let’s chat about Snapchat safety.

1. Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices. It includes sending, posting, or sharing harmful or mean content about someone else. In a survey administered by the CDC, 15.7% of high schoolers said they experienced cyberbullying in the past 12 months. 

2. Exposure to Inappropriate Content

Unfortunately, we can’t always protect our children from the actions of others. Inappropriate content is found on Snapchat’s Discover section — a newsfeed with publicly shared content— as well as shared in-between friends. 

Many kids assume that because messages disappear once viewed, they can act more scandalously than in real life with no repercussions.

While it’s true that Snaps disappear, anyone receiving a Snap can take a screenshot and save the image. The image can then be spread around or even used for sextortion.

59% of Snapchat users have received unsolicited nudes on Snapchat. 

3. Location Sharing: Snap Map

Snap Map allows kids to find their friends easily and to know exactly where to meet. But sharing their location with their entire friend list can be dangerous. 

Some kids allow any and everyone to friend them on social media apps, simply to appear popular as their number of friends goes up. Some of these friends can be acquaintances or even strangers. 

Seeing friends together on maps can make those stuck at home feel left out. Imagine seeing a group of friends together, and knowing you weren’t invited.

It happens, but when it’s visual, it can cause profoundly hurt feelings and strained relationships.

4. Filter Dysmorphia

Many Snapchat filters are fun and silly. But there are some worrisome ones out there, including ones that change facial and body characteristics.

This can cause a disconnect with our real appearance and lead to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)—a mental health condition characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with perceived flaws or defects in one’s appearance.

People with BDD often engage in compulsive behaviors, such as constantly checking their appearance in mirrors or avoiding social situations.

Filter dysmorphia can also contribute to a harmful beauty standard, where people feel pressured to look a certain way in order to be considered attractive on social media.

Plastic Surgery Filters

Plastic surgery filters on Snapchat digitally enhance facial features — smoothing skin, plumping lips, slimming noses, and sharpening jawlines — to mimic the results of cosmetic procedures. This can warp teens’ perception of beauty, leading to low self-esteem and distorted body image.

Snapchat dysmorphia refers to the growing trend where adults and teens seek cosmetic surgery to look like their filtered selfies, blurring the line between digital beauty and real-life appearance.

5. Access to Drugs

Drug dealers have taken to social media, with Snapchat being prevalent, to advertise their goods and to take orders. Kids are able to find dealers, put in an order, and have drugs delivered straight to the front door.

6. My AI

Originally released only for Snapchat+ users, My AI is now available to all users. Snapchat support warns users that My AI responses can be biased, incorrect, and harmful.

Users are encouraged to do further research before trusting My AI’s advice, but kids (who make up the vast majority of Snapchatters) seldom think to fact-check or read through the support page for this warning.

My AI also collects data and the user’s location to personalize its service. The chatbot talks to users as a friend, which can blur the line between robot and human in the minds of young children who may divulge personal information to a machine.

7. Edited Messages

A new feature lets users edit sent messages, which means a conversation can now be changed after it’s already happened. While this may seem harmless, it could make it harder to track the tone or intent of conversations. Parents should remind kids that screenshots and accountability still matter — even when messages can be changed.

Tips for Parents to Keep Kids Safe on Snapchat

If a child is using Snapchat, parents have a few options that can improve the experience. First, we always recommend open communication about proper and safe online behavior. We can also sit down together with our kids to go through the app’s settings and discuss the dangers of some of the features. 

When kids are given a breakdown of the possible dangers, they will be aware of things to watch out for.

Privacy Settings

Parents can encourage their children to make their Snapchat accounts private, which means that only people they have added as friends can see their content and send them Snaps. None of the child’s Snaps will be shared on the public discovery page.

Reporting Tools

Encourage kids to block and report any inappropriate behavior or content to Snapchat’s support team.

Family Center: Snapchat Introduces Family Centre Tool to Boost Child Safety

Released in 2020, the Snapchat Family Center is an in-app feature that allows caregivers to manage their children’s use of the app.

Snapchat safety settings are accessible here, where parents can view insights and analytics about their child’s activity on the app, such as the type of content they are viewing, who they are communicating with, and the amount of time they are spending on the app. 

In addition to Family Center, Snapchat has rolled out new safety features aimed at protecting younger users from unwanted interactions. Teens now have more control over who can contact them and can choose to receive messages only from friends. The app has also improved friend suggestion algorithms to reduce exposure to strangers and made it easier to report harmful behavior.

These updates are a step in the right direction, but they only work if teens know how to use them and feel comfortable reporting issues when they happen.

Why Parents Still Need to Stay Involved

While tools like Family Center and message controls can help, they don’t give the full picture. Parents still can’t see message content or stories, and they aren’t notified when their child adds a new friend. That’s why it’s so important to combine in-app tools with regular, honest conversations about what your child is doing online and who they’re interacting with.

To learn more about this feature, check out our Snapchat Parental Controls article.

Is Snapchat safe for kids? In our opinion, no. However, you know your child best and will know whether or not they are ready to handle the benefits and potential harm that comes with this app. 

A Safer Starting Point

If you’re feeling uneasy about Snapchat, you’re not alone. Many of the app’s features — disappearing messages, location sharing, limited parental oversight — just aren’t built with kids in mind. And even with new safety updates, it’s still a platform that assumes a level of digital maturity most kids haven’t developed yet.

For families looking to ease into tech with more guardrails, there are options that prioritize safety from the start. Gabb devices are designed without social media, internet browsers, or high-risk messaging features. Starting with a simpler phone can give kids the connection they want, and parents the peace of mind they need.

Have you talked with your child about Snapchat? How did the conversation go? Let us know in the comments below!

Author Jackie Baucom

Jackie is a Gabb staff writer. She is the mother of four children and is passionate about keeping kids safe, happy, loved, and thriving. She has a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Utah.