Social media platform Snapchat introduces safety measures to safeguard teen users from predators involved in sextortion.
Social media giant Snapchat revealed enhanced security measures on Tuesday, including enlarged warning notices for teens receiving messages from unknown individuals or those who have been blocked/reported by others. These apparitions serve as indications of potential scammers, as the sender might originate from a region where the teen's other connections are scarce.
Teens can now anticipate a heads-up if seeking friendship or interaction with anybody who shares no mutual friends, particularly when such accounts hail from regions commonly frequented by fraudsters.
These new features are primarily designed to safeguard teens from the ever-growing threat of financial sextortion, a nefarious online scam involving con artists winning the trust of young users, coercing them to share salacious pictures, and subsequently demanding payment to safeguard these explicit images.
In an exclusive statement to CNN, Snap's Global Head of Platform Safety Jacqueline Beauchere explained that these improvements aim to shield teens from potential online hazards and promote genuine friendship connections, which are unique to Snapchat.
Authorities have sounded the alarm about a surge in online sextortion scams where villains, often based overseas, target youngsters and teens, frequently disguising themselves as friendly fellow adolescents. In some instances, sextortion has led to tragedies such as suicides.
In April,Meta, too, disclosed new initiatives to combat sextortion, including alerting users about any encounters with sextortion victims. Furthermore, top execs from Meta, Snap, and other social media heavyweights were summoned to testify before a Senate subcommittee regarding their endeavors to protect young people from internet exploitation.
Amongst Snapchat's recent announcements are advancements in blocking tools, rendering it impossible for users to bypass a restriction by merely creating new accounts. If a user obstructs another account, any new account created on the same device will be immediately barred as well.
Snapchat also plans to enhance its location reminders for users, including teens, on the "Snap Map" feature. This functionality, toggled off by default but that allows users to share their live location with friends, will enable users to alter their settings, remove their location from the map, and customize which friends they allow to track their location – all in one convenient location within the app.
These updates supplement Snapchat's existing teen safety features, such as a "Family Center" for parents to monitor 13- to 17-year-old users and mechanisms for eradicating age-inappropriate content.
Editor's Note: For anyone battling suicidal thoughts or mental health challenges, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (or 800-273-8255) to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site for assistance.
