Teens on Snapchat frequently encounter unwanted or dangerous content on the platform, according to a new survey. A third of the poll's 1,016 respondents said they'd seen or received unsafe content or messages in the past week. More than half said they'd had at least one such experience in the past year. The findings suggest that Snapchat, a platform where messages vanish once viewed by the recipient, is far less safe than parents may assume, said Sarah Gardner, CEO of The Heat Initiative, the advocacy group responsible for the research.
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Top dangerous experiences on SnapchatThe top three types of dangerous experiences reported by up to a third of teens were unwanted contact, bullying, and sexually suggestive content and messages. Roughly 1 in 6 respondents said they'd seen content related to hate speech and drugs or alcohol. Smaller percentages of teens confirmed they'd encountered graphic violence and self-harm on the platform. More than 40 percent of respondents who'd received unwanted messages believed the sender was an adult.
Gardner said the survey results contradict Snap's assertion that its safety features prevent strangers from sending minors unsolicited messages. "These findings directly go against that claim and show that it is absolutely not happening," Gardner said.Mashable contacted Snap for comment, but didn't receive a response prior to the story's publication. Last December, the Heat Initiative, which focuses on online safety and corporate accountability, surveyed Snapchat users between the ages of 10 and 17.As major social media companies scramble to defend their youth safety record, the survey results illustrate the prevalence of harmful content on one of the most popular platforms in the U.S. In 2024, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said in Congressional testimony that more than 20 million American teens use Snapchat. In January, Snap settled a lawsuit brought by a teenager who claimed that Snapchat's design features, like algorithmic recommendations, led to addictive use and mental health harms. Soon after, Snap introduced new parental controls for teens. A separate poll of teens conducted last fall by the Pew Research Center painted a different picture of Snapchat as a platform that strengthened their friendships and didn't negatively affect their mental health.
