Snapchat safety tips: STPS

The Snapchat login screen on a smartphone arranged in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Photographer: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg

The St. Thomas Police Service is offering up some safety tips for Snapchat as summer break kicks off.

If you’re a parent to teens, the STPS would like you to understand what Snapchat is and the risks associated with it.

What makes it risky?

• Location sharing: Through Snapchat’s ‘Snap Maps’, the user’s location is shown to friends, and potentially strangers, in real time.
• Fake profiles: Some predators use Snapchat to make fake profiles and gain trust from users before asking for personal information, photos, or in-person meetings.
• Content leaks: Although the app is known for its disappearing messages, these can still be saved through screenshots or screen recordings and shared without permission.
• Camera and photo access: The app needs permission to use the camera and photo app, which can be risky in the event privacy settings aren’t strict enough.

Police are offering the following tips to keep your children safe on the app:

• Only add people as friends that you know in real life
• Choose a username that doesn’t give away any personal information.
• Use your real age when signing up for a profile to ensure you get age-appropriate filters and other content.
• Turn on ‘Ghost Mode’ on Snap Maps to hide your location from others.
• Turn off location sharing completely, unless absolutely necessary.
• Activate family centre: Snapchat has a built-in tool that lets parents see who their children talk to.
• Think before you snap: Never send photos or messages that you wouldn’t want shared publicly.