Snapchat is a great social media platform for sharing the happy moments of your life with friends and family. But like all social media apps, it can be addictive. If you’re a parent whose child is found rumbling around on Snapchat all day and you’re looking for a way to curb it, or you want to get rid of Snapchat anyway, here’s how to do it.
Launch the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down to find the “Screen Time” tab and tap it. Here, enable the “Use Screen Time Passcode” using your Apple ID; don’t share it with your child). Navigate to “Screen Time” and the “Add App” tab. Select “Snapchat” from the list of apps that appear. Here, you can add a time limit to Snapchat’s usage.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to limit Snapchat and block it using Screen Time.
Method #1: Limit Snapchat Usage Using Screen Time
If you want to put a time limit on using Snapchat rather than blocking it off completely, then enabling “Screen Time” for Snapchat via your parental account is the best thing to do. Here are the steps you need to follow.
- Launch the Settings app. You should find it on your iPhone’s home screen.
- Navigate to the “Screen Time” option by scrolling down.
- If you haven’t turned it on already, click on the “Turn On” button and follow on.
- Set the passcode for Screen Time setting by tapping on the “Use Screen Time Passcode” option using your Apple ID to which others don’t have access.
- Tap on “App Limits” in the “Screen Time” menu. It will lead you to a list of apps installed on the iPhone.
- Scroll down to find “Snapchat” and select it.
- Tap on the “Next” button in the screen’s top-right corner. Here, you can set the daily time limit for the selected app.
- Click the “Add” button at the top-right corner. It will put a time limit on the app.
The screen time limit could be as low as 1 minute a day to as much as you want. That would give you enough control over your child’s Snapchat usage.
Method #2: Restrict Downloading Snapchat Using Screen Time
If you don’t want to allow your child to download Snapchat completely, one option could be to restrict them from downloading all social apps in the first place. Here’s how to do it.
- Launch the Settings app. You should find it on the home screen.
- Tap the “Screen Time” option.
- Enable the “Use Screen Time Passcode” option if you haven’t already.
- Select the “Content & Privacy Restrictions” option from the menu.
- Tap on “Content Restrictions” from the menu that pops up. It will take you to a variety of options using which you can limit your child’s content usage.
- Tap on the “Apps” option. This option allows you to select and limit the usage of apps depending on age limits.
- Selecting “9+” will restrict your child from installing any social media app.
This way, you can block Snapchat or any other form of social media on your iPhone.
You can find several parental control apps that allow you to restrict the content your children can access on their iPhones. FamiSafe parental control app is an excellent option in this regard. You have to download it on your and your child’s iPhone and pair them. Then, you can limit or block the usage of Snapchat or any other app on your child’s iPhone.
Conclusion
It would be reasonable to conclude that you can restrict the time a user is allowed to use Snapchat daily or completely restrict the user from installing social media apps (including Snapchat) by setting an age limit in “Screen Time”. Also, you can install a third-party parental control app to accomplish this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Better not. Snapchat’s Terms of Service restrict anyone below 12 years from making an account. However, children can easily circumvent this requirement by entering a dummy date of birth. Snapchat features explicit content, can lead to marketing ploys, and opens communication channels for your child that could be harmful. Hence, as a parent, it’s better not to allow your children to use Snapchat.
You can use parental control to restrict your child’s social media usage. Go to Settings > “Screen Time”. Enable the “Screen Time Passcode” by entering your Apple ID. Then, go to “Content & Privacy Restriction” > “Content Restrictions”. Here, you will see different age options that restrict your child from downloading apps inappropriate for that age group. Selecting the “9+” age group or anything below will restrict your child from downloading any social media app.
