What is Family Center?
Snapchat’s Family Center is our in-app tool designed to give parents and caregivers insight into how their teens use Snapchat. Family Center reflects the dynamics of real-world relationships by providing visibility into what your teens are doing and allowing you to adjust key settings, without showing the content of their private conversations.
Getting Started on Family Center
Don't have a Snapchat account yet? Follow these instructions to download the Snapchat app and get started on Family Center. If you already have Snapchat, start at Step 4.
Have more questions about Family Center? Visit our Support Site.
Family Center Features for Parents
Learn how each Family Center feature works to help you stay connected and informed.
See existing and new friends, as well as how your teen may know them.
Encourage your teen to connect only with people they know in real life.
See the average amount of time they spend on the app and how that breaks down across features.
Request your teen’s location and share yours in return to stay connected while you’re all out and about.
Help your teen confidentially report accounts or file a report on their behalf.
Quick Links
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Step 1: Download Snapchat
Start by downloading Snapchat from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone.
Step 6: Begin Using Family Center
Teens need to tap ‘Accept,’ and both parties will be notified that the status of the invitation has been updated.
Parents, now, you can use Family Center to see who your teens are talking to and set parental controls on Snapchat.
Step 5: Parents, Invite Your Teen to Family Center
Once a parent opens Family Center, they’ll need to invite their teen to join. Teens will receive an invitation card, and they must opt in to participate.
Step 3: Add Each Other on Snapchat
Ask each other for your usernames so you can become Snapchat friends. Once you’ve shared usernames, you can search for each other using the search bar at the Camera screen’s top-left corner.
Once you’ve accepted each other’s friend requests, you’ll be ready to get started with Family Center.
Step 4: Access Family Center
There are two ways to access Family Center on Snapchat:
1) You can use the search bar. Search relevant terms such as “safety,” “family,” or “parent,” and Family Center will appear.
2) Or, head to Settings (gear icon), located in the top-right corner of your Profile Page (located at the top left corner across all screens), where Family Center has a permanent home.
Step 2: Sign Up for Snapchat
Open the app and tap ‘Sign Up’ to create an account. Once you enter all the relevant information as prompted, you can create your Snapchat username.
