Snapchat is packed with features like disappearing messages, 24-hour stories, and fun lenses that make it a blast to use. But remember, fun doesn’t always mean private. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement without considering your privacy settings.
When sharing personal photos, videos, and other sensitive information, you can never be too careful. Here are some essential Snapchat privacy tips to help keep your account secure.
Snapchat Protection Guide
Although social media safety is quite high, we are still at great risk. The problem is not in the security measures of the social media developers themselves, but in the weak online privacy management on the part of users. You can study Snapchat safety and you will understand that you are not using even half of Snapchat security features. The more important digital safety is for users, the more privacy and security measures should be configured and active.
1. Set up Family Center
Snapchat’s new Family Center feature lets you monitor your child’s online interactions while respecting their privacy and giving them some freedom. With Family Center, parents, guardians, or trusted adults can connect with their teens on Snapchat, see who they’re friends with, and view who they’ve been chatting with. However, conversation contents remain private, and the friends list is hidden from others.
How to set up Family Center on Snapchat:
- Create Your Snapchat Account: Ensure you have your own Snapchat account. It’s necessary to set up a Family Center.
- Connect with Your Teen: Add your teen as a friend on Snapchat.
- Invite Your Teen to Family Center: Send an invite to join Family Center. They must accept it within 24 hours. Only parents, guardians, or trusted adults aged 25 or older can send invites, and they can only invite teens aged 13 to 18.
2. Activate Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication makes your Snapchat account more secure by adding an extra step to the login process. To sign in from any device, you’ll need to enter your password and a verification code sent to your phone.
Here’s how to set it up:
- Go to your Profile > Settings
- Tap the button next to SMS Verification to enable it
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup
It’s that simple! Secure your account today and keep unauthorized users out.
3. Change the Visibility of Your Account Data
Your Snapchat stories offer friends a quick glimpse of your last 24 hours. Unlike direct snaps, they appear in the My Story section and show up in other users’ feeds based on your settings.
Celebrities, public figures, and brands often make their stories public to stay connected with followers. You might prefer limiting your audience to friends or a custom list. To adjust this, go to Settings > Who Can > View My Story. Choose Everyone, My Friends, or Custom.
Snapchat lets you send photos and videos globally, but do you want anyone contacting you? Likely not. Limit contact to friends by going to Settings > Who Can > Contact Me and selecting My Friends. This ensures only those you’ve added can reach out via snaps, chats, or calls.
4. Use Ghost Mode
Snapchat’s Snap Map feature can raise privacy concerns by showing your exact location to friends and other users. Fortunately, you can protect your privacy by activating Ghost Mode. Here’s how:
- Open Snapchat and go to Settings.
- Scroll down to Privacy Controls.
- Tap See My Location and turn on Ghost Mode. This ensures only you can see your location.
- For extra privacy, set Contact Me and View My Story to My Friends, and turn off See me in Quick Add.
By the way, the ghost mode can be enhanced with a VPN. Advanced VPNs like Veepn.com can protect you from surveillance. The data you generate online simply cannot be linked to you by third parties.
5. Avoid Strangers
It’s not unusual to have random users add you on Snapchat. Even if you’ve set your account to private, you can still remove or block unwanted additions. Here’s how:
- Tap your profile picture/Bitmoji icon.
- Select the “Add Friends” option below your Snapcode.
- In the “Added Me” section, tap “Show More” to see everyone who added you.
- Tap the profile picture/Bitmoji icon of the user you wish to manage.
- Tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Choose “Block,” “Report,” or “Ignore Friend Request” based on your preference.
6. Keep an Eye on Screenshot Notices
When someone takes a screenshot of your snap before it expires, Snapchat will notify you with a message saying, “[Username] took a screenshot!” This notification is crucial as it should guide how you proceed with snapping that friend.
Anyone who screenshots your snaps can share them online or with others. While it’s usually fine with trusted friends and family, it’s always wise to be mindful of what you send.
Snapchat will alert you within the app if someone takes a screenshot, and you can also get instant phone notifications by enabling Snapchat notifications in your device’s settings.
Conclusion
Snapchat is an entertaining and convenient platform to share personal moments with friends. However, it’s essential to prioritize our online privacy and security while using the app. By following these tips and regularly reviewing your account settings, you can ensure a safer experience on Snapchat. Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry! Keep yourself informed about Snapchat safety measures and stay protected in the digital age. So keep enjoying all of Snapchat’s fun features but make sure you’re doing so safely and securely!