While Instagram and Facebook face increasing scrutiny over how they manage their teen audiences, Snapchat is taking steps to ensure a safer experience for its younger users by working on a set of family safety tools. In an interview this week, CEO Evan Spiegel discussed his vision of allowing parents to stand alongside their teenage children as they navigate Snapchat. Spiegel stated that one of the product goals is to open a dialogue between parents and their children about their experiences on the app, hoping to align with parents at a time when similar platforms negatively impact younger teens.
During this interview, Spiegel also mentioned that there is an internal parental control system in development called Family Center. Although the company is not yet ready to share details about the expanded parental control tools, it noted that these parental tools aim to give parents better insights to help protect their children in ways that do not compromise privacy or data security. They will be compliant with the law and offered for free to families within the platform.
Last month, the company announced the appointment of a global safety head, who will be responsible for keeping the company's safety strategy organized and proactive. In a statement, a company spokesperson said: "Our overall goal is to help educate youth and empower them to make the right choices to enhance their safety, and to help parents be partners with their children in navigating the digital world."
Snapchat is building an internal parental control system. Current parental tools exist within the platform but are not as comprehensive as third-party services like Bark or the systems recently proposed by Apple for iMessage. However, third-party tools currently impose restrictions across common devices like iPhones. Allowing outside parties to collect information about teens in the name of child safety sets dangerous precedents for privacy and security.
While parents may find it helpful to have more options for monitoring their children, Spiegel argues that parents should engage in conversations about the technology their kids use and learn how to navigate these platforms. Spiegel emphasized the platform's more private nature as a tool for communicating with friends and noted that user accounts are private by default, which distinguishes it from some of its competitors.
