SNAPCHAT PRIVACY SETTINGS

Snapchat is an app that allows you to share photo’s and videos. The content that you post on the platform disappear within a few seconds of viewing. The video and photo content is labelled a “snap.” Snapchat allows you to set the duration that the Snap can be seen. The receiver of the Snap has to allow the snap to be visible before it disappears

Snapchat has more than 100 million daily users and about 50 million of those users are in the 13 to 17 year age range, making the understanding of Snapchat privacy imperative to parents. 
 

Snapchat Privacy for Parents

Instruct your children that photo’s or videos that they do not want to be in the public domain should not be sent to anyone. There have been incidents of hacking on Snapchat which could compromise the privacy of the snap

It is possible to take a screenshot of the images / videos that are intended to be short lived even though most people think the Snap will disappear.

Never allow any content from strangers.

As a default rule, only ‘Friends’ that you have added on Snapchat can directly contact you or have visibility of your Story.

If you wish to alter your privacy settings, this is what you must do:

  1. Select the settings button in the Profile screen to launch Settings
  2. Navigate down to the ‘Who Can…’ area and tap an option
  3. Select an option, then select the back button to save the selection.

You can choose from the following:

  • Who Can Contact Me: Elect who can contact you directly.
  • Who Can View My Story: Elect who has visibility of your Story. Select ‘Custom’ if you would like to block specific friends from viewing your Story
  • Who Can See My Location: Elect who has visibility of your location on the Snap Map. Your location will not be visible on the Map until it is opened for the first time
  • Who Can See Me In Quick Add: Elect who has visibility in “Quick Add”.

A few things to remember:

  • Although you may select ‘My Friends,’ the feature “Group Chat” means all people within that group will be able to interact with you. To have visibility of the members of the group prior to committing, just press and hold on the name of the group in the Chat screen.
  • If you select ‘My Friends,’ Snaps sent from non-friends will not be visible to you — A notification will be sent to you that you were added as a “friend”. You will then be able to view the Snap if you “add” them as well.
  • If you were to select ‘Everyone’ for the category ‘Who Can Contact Me,’ all Snapchatters will be able to send you snaps and view your snaps
  • If you decided to add a Snap to your Story, and subsequently alter your settings so as to allow only friends to have visibility of your Story, all other users could have visibility of prior posts.

Top Tip:

 If you wish to select that you get Snaps from “Everyone” but notifications will only be sent to you when “Friends” are snapping you, you are entitled to alter your settings in “Snapchat Settings” – Notifications

Block or Delete a “Friend”

Delete a Friend 

A person will have visibility to all public snaps, but will not have visibility of your Private Charms or Stories if you select to remove them from a friends list. They could still Chat or Snap you however as this is dependent on your Privacy Settings

To remove a friend from your friends list

  1. Swipe to the right to navigate to the Friends screen
  2. Click and hold on the chosen friend
  3. Click ‘More
  4. Click ‘Remove Friend

Alternatively…

  1. Swipe to the right to navigate to the Friends screen
  2. Click on a Chat with the selected friend
  3. Click settings in the top-left corner
  4. Click ‘Remove Friend

Note: If you remove, block, or mute someone they will not be visible on the “Discover screen”.

Block a Friend 

On blocking a friend, they will no longer have visibility of your Story or Charms or have the ability to send you Chats or Snaps.

To block a friend

  1. Swipe to the right to navigate to the Friends screen
  2. Click and hold on the chosen friend
  3. Click ‘More
  4. Click ‘Block

Alternatively

  1. Swipe to the right to navigate to the Friends screen
  2. Click on a Chat with the selected friend
  3. Click settings in the top-left corner
  4. Click ‘Block Friend

Unblock a Friend 

These settings are reversible and you can always revisit your decision and unblock friends, they will then have visibility of your published content.

To unblock a friend…

  1. Click your profile icon in the top-left corner
  2. Click on this icon  to access Settings
  3. Navigate down and click Blocked

Click the ✖ icon next to chosen person to unblock the friend