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Snapchat Limits Friend Suggestions for Teen Accounts, Reveals Measures to Combat Drug Spread

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 1/21/2022 3:48:23 PM

Snapchat has announced it is working on a set of new parental controls that will help limit how users can contact minors on the messaging service. The company says it will restrict its Quick Add feature to limit adults strangers from finding minors on the app to add them as friends. The feature is designed to protect users between the ages of 13 and 17 on the app. The measure is part of Snapchat's moves to combat the spread of fentanyl and drug-related content on its platform. Snapchat also says it has been working on improving its systems to detect content related to drugs, as well as assisting law enforcement agencies' investigations. On Tuesday, Snapchat explained in a blog post that it has added a new safeguard to the Quick Add feature that suggests friends to Snapchat users on the app. Adult strangers will only see the profile of a minor user in Quick Add if they have a certain number of friends in common with them. Snapchat says the move will help ensure profiles of users between 13 to 17 will be discovered by someone they know in real life. According to the blog post, Snapchat is taking these measures to combat the “fentanyl epidemic” and keep drug dealers from connecting with minors on the platform.