SNAPCHAT is implementing new family safety tools.
The photo-based social media app is taking steps to ensure a safer experience for its youngest users by putting together a set of safety tools that will allow parents to protect their kids online.
In an interview with WSJ Tech Live, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said his vision for his app involves allowing parents to hold their teens’ hands while the kids are navigating the site.
He said: “One of the goals with the product is to open up a dialogue between parents and their children about their experiences on the app.”
Spiegel also said there is an in-house parental control system in the works called the “Family Centre”.
It’s not yet known what the expanded parental controls will contain, but the company says they will “give parents better insights” into their child’s Snapchat habits.
In a statement given to The Verge, the firm said: “The parental tools we are developing are meant to give parents better insights to help protect their kids, in ways that don’t compromise their privacy or data security, are legally compliant and offered at no charge to families within Snapchat.”
The news comes after Snapchat hired a Global Head of Platform Safety who will be in charge of keeping the company’s safety strategy organized and proactive.
When the position was opened, a statement from Snapchat read: “Our overall goal is to help educate and empower young people to make the right choices to enhance their online safety and to help parents be partners with their kids in navigating the digital world.”
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