Snapchat’s New Feature Lets Parents Track Kids’ Real-Time Location

What to know

Snapchat has introduced new location tracking features in its Family Center that allow parents to monitor their children’s whereabouts in real-time.
Parents can now request their teen’s live location, set up travel notifications for up to three specific locations, and receive alerts when their children arrive or depart from these places.
The update also lets parents see which friends their teens share their location with on Snap Map, enhancing safety and transparency.

Snapchat has rolled out updates to its Family Center, changing how parents can keep tabs on their children’s movements. The social media giant, which has over 800 million monthly active users, is taking a bold step toward enhanced family safety and connectivity.

As per Snapchat, the new features give parents visibility into their teens’ locations through the popular Snap Map feature. Parents can now send location-sharing requests to their children and even share their own location back, creating a two-way street of transparency and trust.

A standout addition is the Travel Notifications feature, which lets parents designate up to three key locations such as home, school, or the gym. The app will automatically alert parents when their teens arrive at or leave these preset locations, offering peace of mind throughout the day.

Safety remains a top priority, with location sharing defaulting to off and only allowing accepted friends to see a user’s location. The Family Center will also display which friends their teens share their location with on Snap Map, enabling more informed discussions about privacy and safety.

This update positions Snapchat alongside other family tracking apps like Life360 and Find My, while maintaining its unique social media identity. The company continues to refine its platform’s safety features, particularly focusing on protecting its younger users while keeping families connected in today’s digital age.