Snapchat adds more location safety features for teens

FILE PHOTO: Snapchat has introduced new location features to its Family Center meant for to address teen safety on the platform.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Snapchat has introduced new location features to its Family Center meant for to address teen safety on the platform. Parents will be able to view an option in the Family Center that allows them to request their teen’s location while also being able to share their own. 

While location features are currently present to all users already through the Snap Map, the new controls have evolved even more. 

Soon, parents will be able to request their teen’s live location at any moment, as well as share their own. They will also be able to select up to three designated locations and get alerts when members show up or leave from the locations on the Snap Map. Additionally, they can more easily see who else their child is sharing their location with. 

The feature will be available to users who opt in and will be limited to people who have already been added as friends. Users who share their location with all their friends on their list will be able to review their settings every time they add a new person. 

Snapchat launched the Family Center in 2022 to monitor some user interactions and limit screen time. Last year, safety features preventing stranger accounts from contacting teens were added.