Parents and guardians can send teens an invitation to Family Center, accept or decline it. The tool does not allow parents to read snaps or chats. Also, time spent on Snapchat is not listed.
The device will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand from Tuesday. In the fall, Family Center will expand to all other countries.
No content conversations
Snap has been working on the tool for over a year. The company received input from researchers and security experts. Snap also arranged meetings with the teenagers and their parents to gather information.
The final design reflects the supervision a parent or guardian might have in real life. That means knowing who a young person spends time with, without knowledge of the content of the conversations, and taking action if necessary.
Security
Social media sites like Snapchat, but others, are on regulators’ radar because of the apps’ impact on youth, among other things. Meta Platforms’ Instagram recently added similar tools. This comes after criticism that the company prioritized profits over the well-being of users, especially teenagers.
