Snapchat is rolling out these four improvements to keep young users safe

Snapchat announced Tuesday that it is expanding safety features on the popular photo and video messaging platform in an effort to protect younger users on the platform. Users will be able to use the blocking feature more effectively, while location sharing has been simplified. Meanwhile, Snapchat says it will prevent strangers from friending teens if they don’t have any mutual friends. In-app warnings displayed within the app will also warn younger users about the risks of responding to suspicious users.

Snapchat improves blocking functionality

According to details shared by Snapchat, the messaging app’s blocking functionality has been expanded to protect users from repeated harassment. If a user blocks someone on Snapchat, the app will automatically block new friend requests from other accounts created on the same device. Rival Instagram allows users to automatically block additional accounts created by a user.

Stricter Snapchat friend requests, simplified location sharing

Snapchat users will no longer be able to send friend requests to users between the ages of 13 and 17 unless they have mutual friends. Users who open the app in “locations commonly associated with scams” will also be blocked from sending requests to users. According to the company, a localized version of the feature will be rolled out in India soon.

Location sharing on Snapchat has also been simplified, allowing younger users to control which friends can see their location on the Snap Map feature. The app will also periodically prompt users to review a list of people they’ve shared their location with, the company said.

Improved in-app alerts on Snapchat

To protect teens from suspicious users and scammers, Snapchat says the app’s warning system is now smarter and can alert users to messages from users who are outside of their region. A warning will also be shown to people who receive messages from users who have been blocked or reported.

Snapchat says the new features announced Tuesday are rolling out across the service and are intended to help keep users safe on the platform. The service enables teens to use the platform, and these new features could help the platform reduce the risk of inappropriate content or contact with older users, cyberbullies and scammers.