Snapchat is a photo and video sharing app. The photos and videos that you send on the app disappear seconds after they’re viewed. These short videos and photos are called “snaps.” The app allows a user to send a snap to another user and decide how long (1 to 10 seconds) that user has to view the content. This second user has to touch an on-screen button to view the content before it disappears – this touch feature is intended, in part, to make the content interactive and partly to stop the user who received the photo from trying to capture the image in a screenshot. Snapchat has 100 million daily active users and approximately half of those users are in the 13 to 17 year age range, making Snapchat privacy important for parents. 

Snapchat Privacy for Parents

• Tell your children not to send photos or videos they wouldn’t want the public to see – even if they are sending the content to a trusted individual, Snapchat has been hacked in the past and there are many programs online offering to hack or jailbreak Snapchat accounts, potentially compromising the privacy of photos and videos. 
• Most people think that the pictures or videos sent via Snapchat will disappear after being viewed. However, users are often able to take screenshots of photos and videos which are intended to be ephemeral using standard screen capture features on their smartphones or special software designed to capture Snapchat messages. 
• Ensure Strangers Don’t Send Your Child Snaps

If you don’t want your children receiving pictures and videos from strangers, ensure their Snapchat account is set up to only accept incoming media from their approved “Friends.” Tap the ghost icon at the top of the screen to access your child’s profile, Then tap the gear cog icon in the upper-right corner:Under the Settings menu go to “Receive Snaps from…” and ensure that it says “My Friends” instead of “Everyone”To change this setting, tap on “Receive Snaps from…” and select “My Friends.”

• Block Users Who Send Inappropriate Messages

If a Snapchat user has been harassing your child, here’s how to block their account from contacting them again: Go to your child’s profile by tapping on the ghost icon on the main screen:Then tap "My Friends"Find the person’s name on the list and tap the gear icon to the right of their name:From the following menu, select “Block.”If someone is harassing your child on Snapchat, you can also contact “[email protected] by email or by going on Snapchat.com and clicking Support. 

• How to delete your child’s account

To delete your child’s account go to https://accounts.snapchat.com/accounts/delete_account and sign in with their username and password:Select “DELETE MY ACCOUNT.”Re-enter their username and password and select “DELETE ACCOUNT.” Remaining vigilant about social media use involves regularly speaking to your kids about online privacy and security. If the aforementioned privacy settings on Snapchat have been looked after then your children have a better chance of maintaining Snapchat privacy. As young kids constitute Snapchat’s largest user demographic, it’s up to parents to optimize their Snapchat privacy and security settings.