Easily Monitor Snapchat on Your Child's Android or iPhone

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A simple guide to monitoring your child's Snapchat interactions

Co-authored by Kyle Smith Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

Last Updated: December 17, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using Snapchat's Built-in Controls

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Monitoring Without Your Child Knowing

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Tips

Want to see who your child has been messaging on Snapchat? You now have many options! Snapchat Family Center allows you to see who your child exchanges photos, messages, and videos with, as well as their entire friends list. You'll just need to invite your child to Family Center from your own Snapchat account to start monitoring their Snaps. If you want to monitor someone's Snapchat without them knowing, you can use a commercial option like mSpy, AirDroid Parental Control, or Bark. This wikiHow article shows you how to monitor Snapchat on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Things You Should Know

You can use Snapchat Family Center to see who your child has been messaging and restrict their access to certain content.
To use Family Center, you'll need to add your child as a Snapchat friend first.
You can also monitor Snapchat with third-party tools like Bark, mSpy, and AirDroid Parental Control.

Section 1 of 2:

Using Snapchat's Built-in Controls

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Install Snapchat on your own phone or tablet. Snapchat's new Family Center feature makes it easier than ever for parents to monitor their child's Snapchat use. Unlike other Snapchat monitoring apps, using Family Center is free. To get started, install the Snapchat app from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or the Play Store (Android).^{[1]
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- There are a few requirements for using Family Center:
  - You and your child must both have Snapchat accounts.
  - Parents must be 25 years or older.
  - Children must be between the ages of 13-17.
  - Because you'll need to add your child as a friend on Snapchat, you'll need to know their username.
When you open Snapchat for the first time, you’ll be prompted to create an account.

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Add your child as a friend. You’ll need to add your teen as a friend to monitor them on Snapchat.^{[2]
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- Tap the magnifying glass to search for their username.
- Tap + Add next to their name in the results list.^{[3]
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- Wait for them to accept your friend request. You won't be able to monitor your child's Snapchat activity until they accept your friendship.
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Go to Family Center. To find it:^{[4]
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- Tap your profile image on the camera screen.
- Tap the gear at the top-right.
- Tap Family Center in the Privacy Controls section.
- You’ll be prompted to set up Family Center. Follow the instructions until you get to the invitation screen.
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Select your child and tap Send Invitation. This will send an invitation to your child to opt-in to Family Center. The invitation will appear as a Chat message on your child’s Snapchat app.^{[5]
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- Once your child accepts your request, you can easily pull up their data in Family Center. Just return to Family Center in the Settings area to see your child's recent conversations, friends list, and other interactions.

Section 2 of 2:

Monitoring Without Your Child Knowing

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mSpy. This app makes it easy to monitor your child's Snapchat usage (as well as usage of other apps like Instagram and TikTok) from your own phone or tablet. With mSpy, you'll be able to read your child's Snapchat messages, view vanished images they've received, and see which photos they've been sending.^{[6]
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- To use mSpy, you'll need to install the app on your own phone as well as your child's.
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AirDroid Parental Control. This tool allows you to monitor your child's Snapchat in real-time by casting their screen to your own device. You'll also be able to forward your child's notifications from Snapchat and other apps on your own device. You'll just need to install AirDroid Parental Control on your own device and the AirDroid Kids app on your child's device to get started.^{[7]
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- If your child uses Snapchat on an Android phone or tablet, check out our guide to hiding apps on Android.
This app not only allows you to monitor your child's Snapchat messages in real-time from your web browser, it also comes with a keylogger that captures everything your child types—including their passwords. While there is an iPhone version of uMobix available, only the Android version allows you to monitor your child's Snapchat use. You can also use uMobix to monitor all incoming and outgoing call information, and view photos from your child's phone.^{[8]
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This parental control app monitors your child's interactions on Snapchat and other social media apps, as well as their text messages. You can use the built-in algorithm to alert you of potentially inappropriate activity and signs of cyberbullying, as well as restrict access to certain types of content. However, this app will work best if your child has an Android—if your child has an iPhone or iPad, you won't be able to read their Snapchat direct messages with Bark.^{[9]
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