Snapchat is releasing new features to offer parents deeper insight on how their teenagers use the platform.
On Jan. 22, the company announced new tools for Family Center that can provide parents insights on how teens use features on the app, details on new friend connections, and new safety and educational resources.
“Family Center is designed to reflect the dynamics of real-world relationships by providing visibility into what teens are doing and allowing parents to adjust key settings, without showing the content of their private conversations,” Snapchat in a statement said.
The announcement comes after Snapchat reached a settlement agreement in a lawsuit regarding teen social media addiction. Similar claims have been made against other companies like Meta, ByteDance and Google, who are involved in more than 2,200 social media addiction lawsuits filed in various U.S. courts, according to Reuters .
Parents can see the average amount of time their teen spent on Snapchat each day of the previous week with time-spent insights. The tool breaks down the time spent across different features on the app including chatting and snapping, creating with the camera, viewing the Snap Map and watching content through Spotlight and Stories.
Prior to the update, Family Center already gave parents the ability to see who their teen is friends with on Snapchat and any new friends added within the past week. Now, parents can see how their child might know a new friend they add. They can see if they have mutual friends, have the person saved in their contacts, and the communities they belong to.
Snapchat has created a new video for parents and caregivers that details how to use Family Center. The app’s online safety program, “The Keys: A Guide to Digital Safety,” has also been embedded.
Read the original article on al.com .
