Snapchat privacy settings

Manage notifications

You can customise the push notifications your child receives or turn them off altogether. This can help promote good screen time management on Snapchat.

To manage notifications:

Step 1 – From your home screen, tap your profile image in the top left corner to get to your profile.

Step 2 – On your profile page, tap the gear icon in the top right corner. Select Notifications and choose which notifications you’d like to receive or disable all notifications. You can also customise whether notifications have sound, lights and vibration.

Choose who can contact you

If your child is under 18, you can change this setting so that only friends can contact them.

To change this privacy setting:

Step 1 – Go to your profile and tap the gear icon in the top-right corner.

Step 2 – Scroll down to Privacy Control and tap Contact Me. Choose between Everyone and My friends. Tap your chosen option.

Manage chat settings

You can manage chat settings for each friend your child messages. This can limit what kind of contact they have as well as how long messages last or whether your child will receive notifications from the user.

To manage chat settings:

Step 1 – Go to the user’s profile. This can be done by going to the chat and tapping on the user’s profile image.

Step 2 – Tap the 2 horizontal dots in the top right corner. Select Chat Settings.

Step 3 – Toggle on/off each option you’d like to manage.

Choose who can view your story

Limit who can see your stories by selecting Everyone, My friends or creating a customised list.

To manage who can view your story:

Step 1 – Go to your profile and tap the gear icon in the top right corner.

Step 2 – Scroll down to Privacy Control and tap View My Story. Select who can view your story.

Location sharing

Users can turn off their location in multiple ways. This is recommended for teens.

One way to turn off location sharing:

Step 1 – From your home page, select the location pin in the bottom left corner.

Step 2 – Tap the gear icon in the top right corner.

Select Ghost Mode to completely hide your location. Alternatively, you can choose to hide your location from specific people.

You can get to location settings from your profile as well. Simply scroll down your profile to your Snap Map and tap on the arrow below the map.

Additionally, you can go to your privacy settings and scroll down to See My Location.

How to report, block or remove someone

If your child feels like they are receiving unwanted contact, including abusive behaviour or inappropriate content, they can report and block the user. They can also remove users from their friends list instead.

To report, block or remove someone:

Step 1 – go to their profile. You can do this by going to your chats list and tapping their profile image.

Step 2 – Tap the 3 horizontal dots in the top right corner. Select Manage Friendship.

Step 3 – Tap Report to report them. Select the reason and tap Submit.

Tap Block to block them and Remove Friend to remove them.

How to report content

You can report content that is offensive, hateful or that otherwise goes against Snapchat’s Code of Conduct.

To report content in a Snapchat Story:

Step 1 – While watching a story, either tap the 3 dots in the top right corner or longpress the story itself.

Step 2 – Tap Report, select the reason for reporting and add an explanation if needed before tapping Submit.

Set up two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication makes your account more secure. It is an optional security feature to verify that it’s really you when you log into your Snapchat account.

To set up 2-factor authentication:

Step 1 – Go to your profile and tap the gear icon in the top right corner. Select Two-Factor Authentication.

Step 2 – Tap Continue and follow the instructions on-screen.

Using Family Centre

Snapchat Family Centre is an in-app tool that lets parents and carers stay on top of who their teens are in contact with on the app. Learn more here.

To use Snapchat Family Centre:

Step 1 – Create or login to your personal Snapchat account. Then, go to your profile.
Step 2 – Tap Add Friends and add your child by searching their username. Return to your profile.
Step 3 – Tap the gear icon in the top right corner to get into settings. Under PRIVACY CONTROL, tap Family Centre.
Step 4 – Select your child’s name to invite them and then tap Send Invitation.
Step 5 – Login to your child’s account (or ask them to access it on their phone). From their profile, tap Add Friends and then your username.
Step 6 – Tap View Invitation and then Accept.
Step 7 – From your profile on your own account, navigate back to Family Centre. You will now be able to tap your child’s profile to see their friends as well as who they have chatted with in the past seven days. You can use this feature to start conversations around their online experiences.