As the new school year begins, it’s important that teenagers are happy and thriving in their friendships, both online and offline. 

Snapchat, in collaboration with the UK internet safety charity Childnet, has developed a new guide for parents to help them to have open and honest conversations about online safety with their children.

The SnapSavvy guide, which you can read here includes tips and advice to support families to have these important conversations, and to help parents learn more about Snapchat’s safety tools and features for protecting teenage users, including Family Centre.

Early findings from Snapchat’s latest Digital Well-Being Index (DWBI) research, which surveyed teens, young adults, and parents in six countries about their experience across all apps, platforms and services – not just Snapchat – show that parents have increased their efforts to mitigate online risks. 

Nearly half of UK parents surveyed (44 per cent) now regularly check in with their teens about their online activities, an 8 percentage point increase compared to last year. 

Teenagers themselves are becoming more aware about online safety. According to the DWBI research from June 2024 , nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of those aged between 13 and 17 say they had sought help after encountering online risks, an increase of 6 percentage points compared to the previous year.

However, the research also highlighted a concerning trend: teens are less likely to report more serious online risks to their parents. 

Additionally, around 21 per cent of parents admitted they were unsure how to effectively monitor their children’s online activities. 

Read the SnapSavvy guide and head to our microsite parents.snapchat.com for further guidance and resources for parents.