Snapchat tests limited public sharing for teens amid child safety scrutiny

Amid growing debates on age limits for social media, Snapchat is testing a feature allowing teens aged 16 and 17 to share content with a broader audience. However, it will not be fully public posting.

Snapchat has already implemented safeguards to limit exposure for young users, including restrictions on public posting. This new process aims to offer older teens broader sharing options with enhanced privacy protections.

 According to the platform, "Informed by feedback from our community, older teens will be able to post content to a new publicly viewable content page within their profile built with thoughtful protections is in place."

Rather than a fully public approach, teens will share content through a filtered process that ensures their posts reach a limited audience. The platform also mentioned, "Now Snapchatters who are 16+ and want to share their creativity can post a public Story or share a video to Spotlight with attribution back to their publicly viewable content page."

Teen content will only be shared with a restricted audience, including mutual and expanded connections. Additionally, there will be limitations on how teens can engage with non-connections through this process. Snapchat is also adding more granular controls over each post. "On Snapchat, it is always more than a one-time choice to simply be public or be private," emphasising the app’s focus on user control over privacy.

Despite the new features, Snapchat faces scrutiny, especially after the State of New Mexico filed a lawsuit accusing the app of failing to protect children from exploitation and harm, signalling the importance of cautious implementation of these changes.