On Thursday, Snapchat introduced new location-sharing features for its Family Center, the in-app platform providing parental controls and resources.
The company reported that over 350 million people use Snap Map each month to share their location with friends and family, helping them stay safe, discover nearby places, and explore global content.
The new features include:
Share Location Through Family Center
Parents and caregivers can now request their teen’s live location via a new button in Family Center. Teens can also share their location back, ensuring everyone is informed about each other’s whereabouts once they opt in.
Enhanced Settings Visibility
Soon, parents will have access to their teen’s location-sharing preferences, including which friends can see their location on Snap Map. This added visibility aims to help families have informed discussions about privacy settings.
Travel Notifications
Parents will be able to set up travel notifications for up to three locations, such as home, school, or the gym. They will receive alerts when their family members leave or arrive at these locations, offering added peace of mind regarding safety.
Additional Safety Reminders
Location sharing on Snapchat is always off by default and can only be shared with accepted friends. For users who choose to share their location with all friends, Snapchat will introduce reminders to review location-sharing settings when adding new friends outside their usual network.
These features are designed to enhance family connectivity and safety while on the move, according to the company.
Availability
These new features will roll out in the coming weeks, and the company encourages users to provide feedback.