Snapchat is expanding its privacy-first approach for younger users with a new feature that gives teenagers under 16 a dedicated space to share content while keeping their audience limited to trusted friends.
The platform has announced that users aged 13 to 15 will now be able to create, save and display Stories and Spotlight videos on personalised profiles that can only be viewed by mutually accepted friends. The feature is being introduced globally and reflects Snapchat’s growing emphasis on age-appropriate experiences and online safety.
Until now, younger users could upload content to Spotlight, Snapchat’s short-form video platform, but those posts were not linked directly to their profiles. With the latest update, teens will be able to build a visible content presence without exposing their posts to the wider Snapchat community.
A safer space for creativity
Snapchat says the new experience is designed to encourage self-expression while maintaining strong privacy safeguards. Content shared by users in the 13-to 15-year-old age group will remain within their approved friends’ network, preventing broader public distribution.
According to The Indian Express, the company believes this model strikes a balance between allowing teenagers to express themselves creatively and protecting them from the risks associated with public social media exposure. Unlike older users, younger teens will also not have access to public engagement metrics such as favourite counts, reducing the pressure often associated with social validation online.
The approach reflects a growing trend among technology companies to create age-specific experiences rather than offering identical features to all users.
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Different experiences based on age
Snapchat’s latest rollout forms part of a tiered system that gradually expands social features as users get older.
According to The Indian Express, teenagers aged 13 to 15 will be restricted to friends-only content sharing, while users aged 16 and 17 can choose to access limited public-sharing options that include additional safety protections and parental visibility features. Adults aged 18 and above will continue to have full access to public profiles and broader content discovery tools.
The company says this staged approach helps ensure that younger users interact primarily with people they know in real life rather than unfamiliar audiences online.
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Stronger parental oversight and safety tools
According to The Indian Express, the update builds on a range of existing protections already available for younger Snapchat users. Teen accounts come with stricter privacy settings by default and include safeguards designed to limit unwanted interactions from strangers.
Parents also have access to Family Centre, Snapchat’s parental supervision hub, which allows them to monitor their teen’s friend network, review recent contacts, set content restrictions and manage access to certain platform features.
Additional tools include location-sharing controls, account-reporting features and restrictions on inappropriate content exposure.
