Photo Credit: Official White House Photo

Exciting news for teenagers across the United States! Applications are now open for the second U.S. cohort of Snap’s Council for Digital Well-Being (CDWB), a year-long program designed to elevate young people’s voices on online safety and digital well-being.

Gen Z teens are digitally fluent, creative, and thoughtful about how technology fits into their lives. At Snap, we’re interested in learning about their ideas for helping teens thrive online and continuing to make platforms like Snapchat places for creativity and connection with friends and family. We also recognize that being online can present real risks, especially in the evolving age of artificial intelligence. We want to foster young people’s understanding of those risks and help equip them with the skills and tools to address them and assist others in their communities. 

The CDWB will bring together teens ages 13-16 for monthly virtual meetings, group projects, and ongoing engagement with teams across Snap and members of our global Safety Advisory Board. During the program, Snap will sponsor Council members to travel to and attend a two-day, in-person summit, as well as a public-facing capstone event. 

Our inaugural Councils

We launched our inaugural cohort of the CDWB in the U.S. in 2024. Throughout the program, this group of teens – and their families – provided invaluable insights and grew into more effective online safety and well-being ambassadors. To conclude their experience, Council members had the opportunity to share their learnings with key stakeholders in the online safety community and speak directly with the Office of the First Lady of the United States. 

As a result of the success of the program, we launched “sister” councils in Australia and Europe in 2025. The engagement and leadership shown by Council members across all three regions have reinforced the value of engaging teens about their perspectives on online safety and digital well-being. Building on that momentum, we are excited to welcome a new group of U.S. teens into the program. 

Applying to join the U.S. CDWB 

Teens ages 13-16 living in the U.S. are invited to apply by completing this online application by 5:00 PM PT on March 20, 2026. 

In addition to basic information, the application calls for short essay and video responses focused on social media, AI, and digital life; expectations for participating in the Council; and, familiarity with and views on Snapchat. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. 

For additional questions about the CDWB or the application process please review the application form or contact platform-safety@snapchat.com. And to learn more about Snap’s online safety efforts more broadly, visit our Privacy & Safety Hub. We look forward to introducing our new Council in the coming months.

-Viraj Doshi, Platform Safety Lead