Snapchat is launching a parental control feature called “Family Center” that allows parents to keep an eye on who their young teens have been chatting with. The app’s Platform Policy and Social Impact Director Nona Farahnik Yadegar says it’s an opportunity for a parent and a teen to talk about Snap, online safety, an what it means to connect with people online.
The move comes after the company is under scrutiny from many parents after some children have bought drugs using the platform. The new Family Center in-app feature shows parents their kids’ friend list, as well as who they’ve messaged over the last week. Although the app has implemented safety features in the past, these are first-of-its-kind tools and are completely voluntary. Parents can only see who their teens have been talking to, but they won’t be able to read their chat history. Snap promised to introduce new parental controls and other features designed to protect underage users on its service last year.
