Snap Inc. has announced a range of new features geared towards safeguarding the online experiences of 13-17-year-olds on Snapchat. These updates, set to be implemented in the coming weeks, serve three main purposes: 1) protecting teenagers from unsolicited contact by unfamiliar users; 2) curating age-appropriate content on the platform; and 3) strengthening the removal of accounts that may be attempting to promote content unsuitable for their age group through the introduction of a new strike system and advanced detection technologies.
Enhancing Safe Contact: To ensure that teens exclusively interact with individuals they know in real life, such as friends, family, or trusted contacts, Snap is introducing the following enhancements:
- In-App Warnings: This new feature triggers a pop-up warning when someone tries to add a teen as a friend without having shared mutual contacts or an existing contact in their phone book. This warning encourages teens to consider whether they want to engage with this person and advises against connecting if they don’t trust them.
- Stronger Friending Protections: Snap is introducing a new feature that raises the threshold for 13-to-17-year-olds, requiring a greater number of mutual friends before they can appear in search results. The aim is to reduce the likelihood of teens connecting with individuals who are not already part of their friend network, according to a statement from Snap.
New Strike System for Age-Inappropriate Content Promotion: To combat the promotion of age-inappropriate content through public content platforms, Snapchat has implemented a new Strike System. In this system, inappropriate content that is proactively detected or reported is promptly taken down. Accounts that persistently attempt to circumvent the rules will face bans.
Uthara Ganesh, Head Public Policy-South Asia at Snap Inc., commented on these new features, stating, “Our latest features are thoughtful in-app features that are designed to empower teens to make smarter choices and talk openly about staying safe online.”
