|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Snapchat is implementing a new safety feature that limits the friend suggestions teenagers see in the app (via 9to5Mac). Kids aged 13 to 17 years old will now only receive suggestions that have “a certain number of friends in common with that person” through Snapchat’s friend suggestion feature, called Quick Add.
It’s unclear just how many mutual friends a user will need to have in common with a teen in order to appear on their Quick Add list, but Snapchat says it will help ensure users actually know each other in real life. The platform also plans on adding new parental control tools, which it hinted at last year, offering “parents more insight into who their teens are talking to” while still letting teens have a sense of privacy.
An NBC report first shed light on teens using the platform to buy drugs
These changes come as Snapchat works towards preventing users from exploiting the platform for drug dealing in the wake of a fentanyl epidemic that’s affecting both adults and young people. Snapchat reports it’s getting better at tracking down drug-related content and has increased its proactive detection rate by 50 percent since October.
Last year, a report from NBC first shed light on young adults using the platform for buying prescription and recreational drugs and receiving fentanyl instead. Since then, Snapchat has added safety measures, such as its Heads Up education portal that warns users about the risks of fentanyl, as well as reporting tools to combat drug-related activity.
We want our community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community is not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters.
Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of our community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.