Snapchat

App review by Chris Morris, Common Sense Media
Snapchat Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Send moments in photos, watch curated content; use wisely.

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android Free Photo & Video
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 340 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 479 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the popular Snapchat messaging app lets teens exchange user-generated photos, texts, videos, and calls without many restrictions. According to the developer, users can place viewing-related time restrictions on the Snaps they send -- making them visible for one to 10 seconds, for instance, before disappearing from the recipient's device. They can also now opt to have friends view them for as long as they'd like, though, and while senders will be able to see a record of it, recipients can also potentially take a screenshot of the image. Also, several third-party programs easily intercept and store any Snaps sent to the user, negating the "temporary" aspect of the service.

Users can also share their location and see where friends are on a map and view Stories from users in various locations. A Ghost mode allows you to conceal your location. Other privacy features exist, including an option to save posts behind a passcode in the Memories section so no one else can see them. While other users can receive messages from people they don't know, default settings in profiles for kids who are under 18 only allow them to communicate with friends. Because the storage of outgoing (and incoming) pictures, videos, and texts can be limited, the app has gained a reputation as a potential means of sexting. Some curated content also features harsh language, sexual content, violence, and ads. Snapchat also offers augmented reality display glasses for purchase. Under California's CCPA law, you have the right to protect your personal information when using the app; check out its Safety Center and content for parents to get more privacy-related information.

Community Reviews

JannetSternly
JannetSternly Adult
January 25, 2022
age 12+

I have a 12 year old daughter and this would have helped me

I have a 12 year old daughter and when she asked me about snapchat my immediate reaction was no. But then I talked to my friend who is a teacher and she said while she has seen snapchat incidents, none of them prevented her from giving her kid snapchat. Certainly not something a responsible kid couldn't handle. This made me rethink. So, I got the app for a week and every day I checked it. Snapchat is made out to be a horror but it had nothing on the more dangerous SM like Instagram. Nothing bad came up. I gave my daughter Snapchat and since then I have been pleased with the results. Since getting Snapchat she has stopped asking me for other social media like instagram which is too dangerous for her and she hasn't been spending any more time on her phone. She has been happier because she can be more in tune with her friends. Snapchat has been good for her social life. Before giving her Snapchat though, I had her set her accounts to private and every so often I take her phone from her and check. Overall I am pleased with the results of Snapchat and trust my daughter to be okay.
32 people found this helpful.
leajohna2468
leajohna2468 Adult
March 14, 2022
age 11+

Trust is number one

I think that if you can trust your child and have a mature child, then this app has is definitely for your kid. I know that their is a dark side of Snapchat but my son uses it casually and has not had any problems (he was 12 when he got it but now he’s 14). I am very anti-social media and really fought with my son for a while and finally let him try out this app. After almost a year of asking I finally let him get it. And I realized that at a certain age keeping your kids away from this can hurt your child more than help them. I hope that parents considering can help be persuaded by this response. But again you have to trust your kid.
13 people found this helpful.
See all 340 parent reviews

What’s It About?

SNAPCHAT is a photo-messaging app that allows users to put a time limit on pictures, texts, or videos they send so the recipient can see the items for potentially only a few seconds before they disappear, although longer durations are an option. Users can add friends from their device's address book or by entering specific usernames. To send a picture, you take a snapshot using the in-app camera, set a time limit, and select the recipients. Content can be altered with color and other effects using filters, different camera modes, and Lenses, AR experiences that add 3D elements, objects, and other items. Kids can video-chat with up to 15 people using the app. A colored icon appears as a notification you've received a Snap; kids can also scroll through viewing options from creators and other users and submit a Snap to be featured in the app's Spotlight section.

Is It Any Good?

At one time it may have sounded like a great way to control images, videos, and texts shared with friends, but exchanges may not involve quite as much automatic security as kids expect. Snapchat still offers some: Kids can, for instance, set Snaps to expire 10 seconds after they're seen. But they also can choose to make messages available indefinitely, and much of the public content seems to be available to view repeatedly. Kids can also hide their location when sharing items by utilizing Ghost mode, but they can't disable the Snap Maps feature once they've set it up.

A mix of popular content is showcased in the Spotlight section, including items that are trending due to sounds, topics, or the lenses that were used to make them. Those items are moderated before being posted. Users can combine Snaps with a Remix feature, play original multiplayer games within the app, and video-chat with up to 15 friends at once -- or block or mute individual friends' Stories. Content could end up being shared in a more public way than kids intended, if they aren't clear on the necessary privacy and other settings. Parents may also be concerned kids will use the app to exchange inappropriate content because, if it's set to expire quickly, there'll be no record of it. The app introduced controls in 2022 that give parents some visibility of their child's usage, including who their child has been corresponding with. Parents have to install the app on their phone or other device, though, and the process requires them to link their accounts by adding their child as a friend. Their child then still needs to accept an invitation to opt in to the Family Center functionality, and parents won't be able to see specific content their child has sent or received -- just the people their child is connected to and who they've sent messages, photos, or videos to in the last seven days. Some of the app's features may make kids feel pressured to spend a significant amount of time using it. Snapstreaks, for example, involve trading Snaps within 24 hours over a period of days and may prompt kids to remain tied to their phone. Charms, given to commemorate interactions and relationships, could also serve as an incentive to keep repeatedly sending messages. Rewards of $250 or more are also doled out for highly viewed videos that were submitted to challenges in the Spotlight section. As with any media-sharing tool, teens should be cautious and thoughtful about which images and other items they send using Snapchat -- and also keep in mind that, in actuality, most types of seemingly risk-free messaging likely aren't.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the long-term effects of sharing what are assumed to be private moments through apps like Snapchat. How can you be sure that these moments are truly private? Should you expect that multiple people can see what you're sharing?

  • Families can discuss the long-term effects of using extensive photo and beauty filters, and whether or not there's a mental health impact in the form of anxiety, insecurity, and/or negative body image. Do you think these filters reinforce unrealistic beauty standards?

  • Parents also can remind kids that nothing, once it's posted to the internet, ever really goes away -- and it can come back to haunt them. How could a mistake or a bad decision online continually show up again and again?

App Details

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