Snapchat

What it is

Snapchat is a camera and chat app. Snaps and chats are designed to disappear, which is why it feels private to children. Friends keep "streaks" by snapping every day, and that streak can start to feel like a duty.

Snap Map can show a live location to friends. Quick Add suggests people they may not know. A hidden area called My Eyes Only stores photos behind a second PIN, so a quick look at the camera roll can miss them.

What to look out for

• Snap Map left on, especially when it shows home or school.
• Streaks with people you have never heard of.
• My Eyes Only, or any second PIN they will not explain.
• Friends added from Quick Add rather than from real life.
• Screenshots, screen recordings, or pressure to send a photo "before it disappears".

Ways to stay safe

These steps are for Snapchat. The house rules still apply on every app.

• Turn Snap Map to ghost mode, so the location is not shared.
• Set up Family Center and look at who they are actually talking to.
• Keep the account private and the contact list limited to people you could phone.
• Agree that a streak is not a reason to stay in a conversation that feels off.
• If a photo was sent and they are frightened, go to the help page. Do not make them show the image around.

In the news

Published reports you can read yourself. A headline is the proof, not a set of instructions, and this page does not repeat graphic detail.

• Criminals are using private messaging to groom children NSPCC · 2025 Where police named the app, 40% of cases were Snapchat, 9% were WhatsApp, and 9% were Facebook and Instagram.
• Snapchat most-used app for grooming, says NSPCC BBC News · 2024 Police figures given to the NSPCC. Where the app was recorded, Snapchat was nearly half of the cases.

A way to start the conversation

Say that disappearing does not mean nobody kept a copy. Ask who would be on their list if the rule was "only people I have met in real life".

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