Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app that allows sharing images, videos, text messages, etc. The platform allows users to share their location, add filters to their images, and create short video stories. India is an important Snap Inc. market, which amassed over 109 million monthly active users. Now, Snapchat is bringing an initial set of parental controls to users in India.
Snapchat has recently unveiled a new in-app tool called “Family Center” in India, which provides parents with information and controls around their child’s app usage. This feature was recently announced in October last year and initially rolled out to users residing in the United States starting August 2022. But, the app’s safety tools were never accessible in India until now.
This tool includes a parental guide, FAQs, and a list of resources for parents. It grants them specific controls, thereby enabling them to limit their child’s use of Snapchat by setting a daily time limit, disabling certain features, and preventing the addition of new friends.
Parents and guardians can now install the Snapchat app on their devices and link their accounts with their children using an opt-in invite process to use this new feature. Once the account is linked, you can easily access the tool and control it from the app’s profile settings or by searching for “family” or “family center” from the app’s search engine.
The parental controls are primarily available for parents and guardians having children between ages 13 and 18, as younger kids can misuse Snapchat.
To celebrate World Mental Health Day and Bullying Prevention Month, Snapchat is launching bullying prevention and mental health campaigns worldwide. It partners with the not-for-profit organization ‘Sangath’ to arrange these campaigns.
With this feature, parents and guardians can:
- Track their ward’s Snapchat usage
- View their child’s Snapchat score
- Limit who their child can communicate with on Snapchat
- Set time limits for how long their child can use Snapchat
Snapchat is a central communications tool for so many young Indians. As our community grows, we know parents and caregivers want additional ways to help keep their children safe. We hope this new feature will give parents and caregivers peace of mind regarding their children’s safety on Snapchat. These new parental controls are available in both iOS and Android apps.