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Sut i gadw eich plant yn ddiogel ar-lein / How to keep your children safe online

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Sut i gadw eich plant yn ddiogel ar-lein / How to keep your children safe online

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Canllaw Defnyddiol i rieni / Helpful Guide for parents

Cliciwch y blwch coch ar frig y dudalen i newid yr iaith Cymraeg /Saesneg

Click the red box at the top of the page to change the language

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A guide for families with key information about ‘Roblox’, including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings

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Bydd y dudalen hon yn darparu gwybodaeth am Iechyd i ddisgyblion oedran ysgol, er enghraifft syniadau ar gyfer Bocs Cinio Iach. Sgroliwch i lawr am ragor o wybodaeth

This page will provide information on Health for school aged pupils for example Healthy Lunchbox ideas. Please scroll down for more info

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A guide for families with key information about ‘Tik Tok’, including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings

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Snapchat is a free messaging app that allows users to exchange pictures and videos called 'snaps'. The idea is that these images can appear temporarily before disappearing, though they can be captured via screenshots. Snapchat allows users to edit their pictures and videos through the use of augmented reality (AR) and filters, lenses, emojis, text or other effects, which they can then share with friends. Users can choose how long their snaps stay on the app, from one second to no time limit. Recipients of the snaps can also have the ability to replay a snap they receive. Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms globally, especially with young people, and has 332 million daily active users worldwide. It is available to download on most mobile and PC devices and can also be accessed through the web via the Snapchat website.

The minimum age restriction for Snapchat users is 13 however, Snapchat does not have any rigorous age verification methods. Users are unable to change their date of birth once an account has been created.

All accounts default to a 'Friends' setting, where content can only be viewed by friends you've added on the platform. It is worth checking that your child's account settings reflect this.

Find out more about age ratings in our ' A parent and carer's guide to age ratings of apps and games '.

Snapchat is an extremely popular app for children and young people. The different ways users can edit pictures and the key feature of making messages temporary give the app a fun and playful feel. Users can choose to put a time limit of between 1-10 seconds on the 'Snaps' they send directly to their contacts or in group chats . Each snap shared with your followers as a 'Story' is also temporary and is available for 24 hours, unless you delete it before then. The app also has a multitude of other features including bitmojis, games, subscriptions and a discovery page with various types of news and curated content to scroll through. A big incentive for the continuous use of the app is the 'Snapstreak' feature where a number is presented next to a user's name to signify the number of days in a row that they have been messaging. This is sometimes seen as a reflection of their friendship and if the users forget to message for a day, the number goes back down to zero which can be upsetting to some users and provides further incentive to use the app daily.

"I like to use Snapchat because you can send pictures without them saving to your camera roll and it tells you when someone screen shots or saves something. I mostly like using the filters. Sometimes I'll just post stories about my family and friends. I also like to use the maps to see where people are too." (Child, aged 13)

As with other apps that encourage users to share their personal stories and pictures, a lot of unmoderated content is shared on Snapchat. Due to the ways that the algorithms work on platforms like Snapchat, videos will be shared because they are popular and have high engagement rather than because they are necessarily safe or appropriate for your child. It is also possible your child may stumble across inappropriate content in the form of bad language or mature content in their messages. By restricting who your child can access on the platform, your child is less likely to experience language or behaviour that is not suitable for their age. However, it should be acknowledged that your child may still be exposed to inappropriate content by their known contacts.

The disappearing text also presents a risk, as users could feel disinhibited and inclined to share content which they assume cannot be viewed again. This could apply to a range of situations, including the sharing of nude images, racist or hateful comments or engaging in bullying and harassment. Users should be reminded that any content they share on the platform can be easily captured in a screen shot and shared, so encourage your child to think carefully about the content they choose to share.

Users should also note that My AI, the new chatbot created by Snapchat, uses a modified version of OpenAI's ChatGPT technology. Similar to ChatGPT, My AI has its own set of content filters and an ability to generate a near-instantaneous response to any question prompt by the user. However, My AI may produce misinformation due to its nature as a 'Large Language Model' or 'LLM', which means that it forms responses based on the probability of words in a sentence about a topic. You should make sure your child knows that they should always fact-check responses by My AI. Snapchat additionally collects user data from conversations with My AI, so it is important that your child knows not to share private or sensitive information with My AI as these may be seen by a human AI trainer.

The augmented reality feature 'Lenses' has been available on the platform for a while, but the growth and uptake of artificial intelligence tools has been rapid in more recent years. Using this tool, Snapchat users can modify images in a variety of ways including adding or removing features, altering backgrounds and artificially zooming out. These vary based on the type of augmentation and are interactive, allowing a recipient to see what changes have been made to the image that they receive. Watermarks will be applied to any artificially altered images detected by the platform however ss this is a rapidly evolving area, it is possible that not all augmented reality will be recognised, particularly if an image is created outside of the app. Speak to your child about being critical of images and raise their awareness of AI and its use in image doctoring.

Snapchat is a highly social app encouraging interaction and engagement that is lively and fun. There have been cases of children and young people being contacted, solicited and harassed through this app. This app is likely targeted because it is so widely popular with children and young people but also because the disappearing messages feature may be attractive to those who are seeking to harm children. While Snapchat has taken several measures to limit young users from being discoverable by people they do not know, it is still important that children and young people know how to limit their contacts in settings to those who are known friends. Speak to your child about the risks of connecting with strangers and explain the importance of not sharing any personal or identifiable information on their profile or within chats. Encourage them to tell you if they have been asked more personal questions or to chat privately using a different app. Changing the privacy settings to sharing only with friends is recommended.

Whilst it is recommended that your child only interacts with people they know on the platform, they also need to be aware of some of the new features within the app that could put them at further risk. The recent introduction of the 'Meet up' feature on Snapchat means a user can get directions to a friend's exact location via the 'Snap map'. Like other map apps, this feature then shows the route and how long it will take to reach them. Whilst the intention behind the feature is to make it easy for offline family and friends to find each other and meet up, it is possible that the feature can be misused by others on the platform. Further updates to the Snap Map feature allow users who share locations to interact directly through the map. Examples of this could be to 'wave' to a passing user who is close by on the map or to send 'hearts' when arriving at a destination. Ensure your child is only connecting with known friends on Snapchat and remind them that they should only ever share their location details with people they know and trust. Talk to your child about the risks of sharing their location with people they do not know and encourage them to talk to you if they have been asked to share their location or have experienced unwanted visits from people on the platform.

In common with other popular social apps, Snapchat has a range of features which allow users to share content in a range of ways. Have a conversation with your child to help them understand what is and is not appropriate for them to share online and the lasting impact that anything they post may have on themselves and their future. The 'My eyes only' and 'Disappearing message' feature that Snapchat is known for can also give children a false sense of security about sharing. It is important to explain to children that all content can be screenshotted, saved and widely shared. If a 'Story' or a 'Snap' is screenshotted, the user who made or sent the post is alerted but this does not prevent the other user from being able to save the image. Users must therefore really think about the content they share and consider whether they would be happy for everyone they know to see it.

As with many other apps, Snapchat collects significant data from children and does serve adverts and influencer content. It can be compulsive for children, particularly concerning the 'popularity contest' feature of the app known as 'Snapstreaks'. This feature allows children to share and demonstrate the strengths of their friendships with each other based on how often they communicate via the app. It is important to talk to children about real friendships and how 'Snapstreaks' are simply designed to keep users on the platform, rather than to gauge the quality of a friendship.

Whilst Snapchat is a free app, Snapchat users are invited to subscribe to Snapchat+. For a fixed monthly amount, users can access additional features such as being able to pin best friends and see users who have rewatched your story. This may be very compelling for keen Snapchat users who want to experience the additional features. Remind younger users that Snapchat subscriptions are just another way to try and keep users on the platform and make money.

Snapchat additionally encourages users to buy 'Snap Tokens' to purchase in-app gifts as a way of supporting their favourite creators, or alternatively in-app goods. This may also prove very tempting for young people who may want to feel noticed by a particular creator. Remind your child that like Snapchat subscriptions, Snap Tokens are another way that Snapchat makes money.

Whilst there isn't a simple public or private option within Snapchat, users can still use the settings to determine who can view any content they share.

To manage who can contact you:

Snapchat has developed features to help keep younger users safe. Many of these are reliant on users signing up with the correct age as the measures will only apply to accounts of 'teen' users. It is important that you encourage your child to sign up with the correct age as this will mean that content filters and other safety measures will be applied to their accounts.

Users can navigate through the settings menu to help manage who can contact them and the information they choose to share with others. Live location is shared by default, so disabling this feature is recommended.

Teens will not be suggested in 'Quick Add' or 'Search' unless they share connections with the other person by default.

Messages from unknown users:

Teens automatically receive a warning if they receive a message from someone not already on their friend list in-app or in their phone contacts.

They will now receive warnings if they receive messages from a user who has been blocked/reported by other people or is from an area/region outside of the typical network for the user.

Unknown friend adds:

Teens will be unable to send or receive friend requests to users without mutual friends and in unfamiliar locations.

To manage 'Quick add':

To disable location sharing:

To turn on 'Ghost mode':

within 'Snap maps' select the settings icon

toggle on 'Ghost mode' and select how long you want to remain in this mode from:

when 'Ghost mode' is enabled, your friends can't see your location

Snapchat has launched Snapchat Family Centre within the app, where parents and carers can link their account to their child's. The aim of the 'Family centre' is to help support teens as they begin their social media journey. You can view your child's friends list, see who they have recently messaged, limit access to My AI and sensitive content, and request their location in the app. You can work with your child to turn on parental controls and make choices together about how you can best support your child on Snapchat.

To enable 'Parental Controls' on Snapchat:

Register for an account on Snapchat.

Add your child as a friend on Snapchat. Your child will also need to add your account as a friend.

Go to your profile and then choose the gear icon on the top-right corner of the screen to access the settings menu.

Navigate to the 'Family Centre' and select the child you wish to invite. Then choose 'Send Invitation' at the bottom of the screen.

Your child will need to select 'Accept' on their account. You will both be notified that the invitation has been accepted.

To restrict content for your child:

Go to your profile and then choose the gear icon on the top-right corner of the screen to access the settings menu.

Choose 'Family Centre' and select your child's account. Choose 'Content settings' to access their content settings.

Toggle on 'Restrict Sensitive Content'. It will turn blue to show that it has been turned on.

Note: This will only affect content on Stories and Spotlight and not in private snaps between users.

To view your child's friends:

Go to your profile and then choose the gear icon on the top-right corner of the screen to access the settings menu.

Choose 'Family Centre' and select your child's account.

Select 'View friends'.

To turn off 'My AI' on Snapchat:

Go to your profile and then choose the gear icon on the top-right corner of the screen to access the settings menu.

Choose 'Family Centre' and select your child's account.

Under 'Recent Conversations' find 'My AI' and switch the toggle. It will turn from blue to grey to show that it has been turned off.

To report a user that is talking to your child:

To request your child's location on the Family Centre:

Go to your profile and then choose the gear icon on the top-right corner of the screen to access the settings menu.

Choose 'Family Centre' and select your child's account.

Select 'Request Location'. Your child will need to accept your request.

Note: You can also select 'Share my location' after requesting your child's location to share your location with your child.

Users can report and block other users who may be bothering them or behaving inappropriately on the platform. Blocked users are prevented from creating a new account on the same device, or trying to re-add the reporting users.

To report a user:

To block a user:

To 'remove friend':

There are lots of prompts and invitations on Snapchat, including friend suggestions and prompts about unopened snaps or mentions. You can manage the notifications in the settings menu.

To manage notifications:

go to your profile and choose the settings menu

scroll down and select 'Notifications' and choose which features you would like to be notified about (there is an extensive list of notifications available so work with your child to choose the notification settings that are suitable for them)

Users should be advised that a Snapchat account takes 60 days to delete. The process begins with deactivation, which lasts 30 days. In this period, a user can stop the account deletion process by logging in if they change their mind. However, if the user does not log-in to the deactivated account for 30 days, the account will become irrecoverable. The next 30 days involves the deletion process.

To delete a Snapchat Account (PC/Android):

log-in to your Snapchat account on your web browser of choice

go to the delete account section

write in your Snapchat username and password and follow the prompts to delete your account

To delete a Snapchat Account (iOS):

access your profile by choosing the avatar icon on the top-left corner

select the gear icon in the top-right corner to open 'Settings'

scroll down to 'Account Actions'

choose 'Delete Account'

enter your password in order to verify account deactivation

choose 'Continue' (your account will be deactivated for 30 days and deleted after these days)

Snapchat offers a 'Here for you' service which provides in-app support to users who may be experiencing mental health issues. This can be found in the 'Support' section within the settings menu.

Snapchat has produced a 'Guide for Educators' to develop understanding on how young people use the platform and the protections that are available. Included in this is a toolkit designed to provide knowledge on how to support the safety and well-being of their students online - both generally and on Snapchat.

Snapchat has published its own guidance about My AI. More information can be found in the ChatGPT guide.

Snapchat is currently testing sharing public content for ages 16 and 17 in limited countries, though this may soon expand to include the UK. To go alongside this, Snapchat will also add a feature to 'Family Pairing' that will allow parents and carers to see whether their 16 to 17-year-old has an active public story or has public content shared to their account.

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A guide for families with key information about 'Snapchat', including the age rating, key terminology, risks and instructions for enabling parental controls and safety settings

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Meic is the helpline service for children and young people up to the age of 25 in Wales. From finding out what’s going on in your local area to help dealing with a tricky situation, Meic will listen even when no-one else will. We won’t judge you and will help by giving you information, useful advice and the support you need to make a change.

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Cream cheese bagel with boiled egg, cucumber and celery sticks, malt loaf and a pear

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Tuna and sweetcorn pasta with carrot and cucumber sticks, fruit yoghurt and a carton of orange juice

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Gwybodaeth Seddi Car / Car seat information

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Gwybodaeth Seddi Car / Car seat information

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Siaradwch â’ch plant am ddiogelwch dŵr!

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Talk to your children

about Water Safety!