- Your own TikTok and/or Snapchat account
- Your teen's phone and their OK
- About 15 minutes
Know the teen defaults
TikTok (13 and up): teen accounts start private, have a 60-minute daily limit by default, and teens under 16 can't send direct messages. Snapchat (13 and up): teens can only message friends and phone contacts, and location sharing on the Snap Map is off unless they turn it on.
TikTok: turn on Family Pairing
In TikTok on your phone and your teen's, go to Profile > menu (☰) > Settings and privacy > Family Pairing and link the accounts. You can then set daily screen time, keep the account private, choose who can message them (16+), filter keywords and turn on Restricted Mode. Teens can't loosen the settings you choose.
Snapchat: join Family Center
In Snapchat, tap your profile, then the Settings gear, then Family Center, and invite your teen. You'll see their friends list and who they've chatted with in the last 7 days, but not the messages themselves. You can also limit sensitive content and stop My AI from replying.
Check location sharing together
On the Snap Map, open the ⚙️ settings and turn on Ghost Mode to stop sharing location, or share only with family. Never share location with people they don't know in real life.
⚠️ Careful: Tell your teen: never send photos they wouldn't want shared, and come to you right away if someone pressures or threatens them.
Also see Roblox parental controls and YouTube for kids. Menu names change as apps update. These steps were checked against official help pages in October 2026.
Related game: Safe or Risky?. Related explainer: What does “the algorithm” mean on social media? .