Snap, proprietor of the favored messaging app Snapchat, rolled out its first parental management instruments on Tuesday, which can permit dad and mom to see who their teenagers are speaking to, however not the substance of their conversations.

The new function known as Family Center is launching at a time when social media firms have been criticised over an absence safety for teenagers. In October, Snap and its tech friends TikTok and YouTube testified earlier than US lawmakers accusing the businesses of exposing younger customers to bullying or steering them towards dangerous content material.

Instagram additionally testified in a Senate listening to in December over youngsters’s on-line security, after a Facebook whistleblower leaked inner paperwork that she mentioned confirmed the app harmed some teenagers’ psychological well being and physique picture.

Parents can invite their teenagers to hitch Family Center on Snapchat, and as soon as the teenagers consent, dad and mom will be capable of view their children’ associates checklist and who they’ve messaged on the app up to now seven days. They may also confidentially report any regarding accounts.

However, dad and mom won’t be able to see non-public content material or messages despatched to and from their teenagers, mentioned Jeremy Voss, Snap’s head of messaging merchandise, in an interview.

“It strikes the right approach for enhancing safety and well-being, while still protecting autonomy and privacy,” he mentioned.

Snap mentioned it plans to launch further options within the coming months, together with notifications to oldsters when their teen stories abuse from a consumer.

Prior to Family Center, Snap already had some teen safety insurance policies in place. By default, profiles for Snapchat customers beneath 18 are non-public, and so they solely present up as a instructed good friend in search outcomes after they have associates in widespread with one other consumer. Users have to be at the least 13 years previous to enroll.

Snap’s new instruments comply with an identical transfer by Instagram, which launched its Family Center in March, permitting dad and mom to view what accounts their teenagers comply with and the way a lot time they spend on the app.

© Thomson Reuters 2022