Snapchat is a place to connect and communicate with friends and loved ones, but it’s important to know how to stay safe. We recommend checking out our Safety Center to learn more about Our Policies, Our Team, and information for Parents and Educators. Keep in mind, Snapchat is for ages 13+.
We also offer in-app support for Snapchatters who may be experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis, or who may be curious to learn more about these issues and how they can help friends dealing with them. Our new Here For You feature shows safety resources developed with experts when Snapchatters search for certain topics, including those related to anxiety, depression, stress, grief, suicidal thoughts, and bullying.
Here are some tips to stay safe on Snapchat 👻
Never share your password with anyone — not even us! A Snapchat representative will never ask you for your password. We don’t need it to help you.
Check Your Privacy Settings
Check your privacy settings to choose who can send you Snaps, view your Stories, or see your location on Snap Map.
Choose a Strong Password
Select a password that’s at least 8 characters long, and don’t include personal information, like your name, username, phone number, or birthday. Include a mix of numbers, symbols, and capital and lowercase letters in your password.
Don’t share your password with others, and don’t use the same password for other apps or websites. If you don’t remember your Snapchat password, learn how to reset your password.
Verify Your Email and Mobile Number
Verify that the email address and mobile number associated with your account are accurate in Snapchat settings.
Set up Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is an optional security feature to verify that it’s really you when you log into your Snapchat account! This makes your account more secure 🔐
You can setup two-factor authentication right in the Snapchat app! Learn more about two-factor authentication.
Keep it Between Friends
Snapchat was made for keeping in touch with your close friends. We recommend that you only friend or accept friend requests from people that you know in real life.
Report Abuse on Snapchat
You can always report abuse on Snapchat, including harassment, bullying, or any other safety concern. If someone is making you uncomfortable, you can also block that Snapchatter and leave any group chat. Learn more about reporting abuse or safety concerns.
If you’re not in the US, there are other organizations that can help you. Learn more about crisis resources worldwide.
Customize Your Location on the Map
Only the people you choose can see your location — you can choose to share your location with all your friends you’ve added back, just a group of select friends, or you can even turn on Ghost Mode when you want to go off the grid 👻 Snaps you submit to Our Story can still show up on the Map, though!
Learn more about how to customize Snap Map location settings.
Change Who Can View My Story 🕵🏻
The default privacy setting is that only Snapchatters you’ve added can view your Story 👀 The privacy settings you have when you send a Snap to your Story will remain for that Snap, even if you change the settings later.
Learn how to manage My Story.
Don’t Forget About Screenshots
Snaps are designed to delete by default, but people that you send Snaps to can still take a screenshot or take a picture of the Snap with another device, so it’s a good idea to think before you share.
Join Family Center on Snapchat
Family Center helps parents get more insight into who their teens are friends with on Snapchat, and who they have been communicating with, while still respecting their teens’ privacy and autonomy. It's designed to reflect the way parents engage with their teens in the real world, where parents usually know who their teens are friends with and when they are hanging out, but don’t eavesdrop on their private conversations.
Family Center will provide parents over the age of 25 the ability to:
- See which Snapchat friends their teens have sent messages, photos, or videos to in the last seven days, in a way that still protects their privacy by not revealing the actual contents of their conversations (Snaps and messages);
- See a complete list of their teens’ existing friends, and allow parents to easily view new friends their teens have added, making it easy to start conversations about who their new contacts are;
- Limit their teen’s ability to view certain content in the Stories and Spotlight tabs; and
- Easily and confidentially report any accounts parents may be concerned about directly to our 24/7 Trust and Safety team.