St. Thomas, ON – Monday June 30th 2025
As summer kicks off and screen time increases, the St. Thomas Police Service is launching a weekly series to help families stay safe online.
This week, CRU and SADER are shining the spotlight on Snapchat—one of the most popular social media platforms among youth.
Snapchat Safety: What Parents and Youth Need to Know
While Snapchat was designed with features like disappearing messages and temporary photos, it also comes with risks—especially if privacy settings aren’t properly configured.
What Makes Snapchat Risky?
- Location Sharing: Snapchat’s Snap Map can broadcast your child’s location in real-time. If left on, it can show exactly where your child is to all their friends—or even strangers.
- Predators & Fake Profiles: Some predators create fake profiles to pose as kids, gaining trust before asking for personal details, photos, or in-person meetings.
- Content Leaks: “Disappearing” messages can still be saved through screenshots or screen recordings—and shared without consent.
- Camera & Photo Access: The app requires permission to access your camera and photo roll, which can be risky if privacy settings are too relaxed.
Snapchat Safety Tips for Youth & Parents:
- Only connect with people you know in real life.
- Choose a username that doesn’t reveal personal information.
- Use your real age when signing up to ensure you’re getting age-appropriate content and filters.
- Enable “Ghost Mode” in Snap Map to hide your location from others.
- Turn off location sharing completely unless it’s absolutely necessary.
- Activate Family Center—Snapchat’s built-in tool that allows parents to see who their child is communicating with.
- Think before you snap—never send photos or messages you wouldn’t want shared publicly.
Snapchat continues to be a space where youth connect. A few simple steps can go a long way in keeping kids and teens safe.
Stay tuned every Monday this summer for more online safety tips from CRU and Sader!
