Snapchat parental controls: how to set up Family Center, and what it can’t do

How to set up Snapchat Family Center

1. Download Snapchat and create your own account.
2. Add your teen as a friend, and have them add you back.
3. Open Family Center: search “Family Center” in Snapchat, or go to your Profile, then Settings (the gear icon).
4. Send your teen an invitation.
5. Your teen taps Accept on the invitation. You both get a notification.
6. Set content controls, turn off My AI if you want, and request your teen’s location if needed.

What parents can see

• Your teen’s friend list, and new friends added in the last 7 days
• Who your teen has recently chatted with, including group chats (not the messages)
• Their average daily time on Snapchat over the past week, broken down by chat, Camera, Snap Map and Spotlight or Stories (added January 2026)
• “Trust signals” for new friends, such as mutual friends and whether the person is in your teen’s phone contacts
• Key privacy settings, such as location sharing
• Their location on Snap Map, if they share it, plus alerts when they arrive at or leave places you set

What parents can do

• Limit sensitive content in Stories and Spotlight
• Stop My AI from responding to your teen
• Request your teen’s live location
• Report accounts that concern you, on your teen’s behalf

What Family Center can’t do

• You can’t read messages or see Snaps.
• Your teen can see that Family Center is on, and either of you can end it.
• It only covers Snapchat. Strangers who meet a teen on Snapchat often move the conversation to other apps.

Other settings to check with your teen

• Contact settings: only friends can contact them
• Snap Map: Ghost Mode on, or location shared only with family
• Quick Add: review whether they appear in suggestions to people they don’t know
• Phone-level screen time limits and quiet hours

Why it matters

Families suing Snap allege that streaks, disappearing messages and friend suggestions kept children hooked and exposed them to adults. Snap denies the claims. Researchers studying sextortion reports have found Snapchat and Instagram are where offenders most often make first contact. If something has already happened, see our guide to sextortion for the steps to take right away.