In a bid to enhance online safety, the company said users aged 13 to 15 will soon be able to create, save and display Stories and Spotlight videos on a dedicated profile that can only be viewed by friends who have mutually accepted each other.

Their content will no longer be distributed to people outside their friends list through Spotlight.

Previously, teenagers under 16 could post videos to Spotlight, Snapchat’s short-form video feature, but the content was not linked to their profiles.

While this prevented direct contact from strangers, the posts could still be viewed by a wider audience.

Under the new system, younger teens will share content in a more private environment. Snapchat will also remove engagement metrics such as favourite counts from profiles belonging to users in this age group.

The company said the changes are designed to help teenagers express themselves creatively without the pressure that usually comes with public posting and visible performance metrics.

Snapchat outlined different levels of access based on age. Users between 13 and 15 will be limited to sharing content with mutual friends.

Those aged 16 and 17 can choose to share content more broadly, but distribution will remain restricted to friends, followers and users with mutual connections.

Adults aged 18 and above will still have full access to public profiles and wider content distribution tools.

Alongside the latest changes, Snapchat said it will maintain several existing protections for users under 16.

The platform blocks messages from people teens have not added as friends or saved in their contacts. It also limits friend requests from people users may not know and displays warning messages when it detects a teenager may be chatting with a stranger.

The company says it will continually moderate public content before recommending it to larger audiences and take action against accounts that attempt to promote inappropriate material to teenagers.

Parents will also be able to monitor aspects of their children’s activity through Snapchat’s Family Centre.

The feature allows parents and caregivers to view their teenager’s friends list, see who they have communicated with recently, apply content restrictions, disable access to the My AI chatbot, share location information and report accounts they find concerning.

The update follows a trend across social media platforms, with services such as Instagram launching additional protections and specialised account settings for younger users.

Snap’s latest feature also comes as the company focuses on mitigating the impact of social media on young people.

Earlier this year, Snap settled a lawsuit that accused it of contributing to social media addiction and is still defending similar cases in courts across the United States.

Speaking to CNBC, Snap chief executive officer, Evan Spiegel, said Snapchat has a “positive impact” on users because it helps people stay connected with friends.

He argued that the platform should not be grouped together with competitors such as TikTok and Instagram.

• Alaska residents search for online privacy protection more than anyone else in America.
• Smaller states show the highest concern about online privacy.
• “Turn off location tracking” is the most searched privacy method across all states.

Americans are actively searching for ways to protect their online privacy. A new study by Webshare analyzed Google search patterns across all 50 states to identify where privacy anxiety runs highest and which protection methods people trust most.

The research examined five key privacy tactics: VPN usage, incognito mode, deleting search history, turning off location tracking, and clearing cookies.

Search volumes were normalized per 100,000 residents to reveal true regional patterns.

Here’s a look at the top 10 most privacy-conscious states:

Alaska ranks first in privacy protection searches across the states. Alaskans focus heavily on deleting search history, with 45,900 monthly searches for this topic out of 126,000.

This makes up 36% of all privacy searches in Alaska, compared to 27% nationally.

Wyoming takes second place with residents clearly preferring incognito mode browsing. Roughly 31% of its 83,600 monthly privacy searches focus on incognito mode, well above the national average. At the same time, Wyoming residents show little interest in VPNs, ranking low among all 50 states.

Delaware ranks third with a strong focus on location tracking controls. The state generates 43,900 monthly searches for turning off location services – about a third of its 131,000 total monthly privacy searches. That’s far more than much larger states like Colorado (9,500) or Massachusetts (10,100).

Vermont comes in fourth place, showing the most balanced approach to privacy among the top states. Cookie clearing dominates Vermont’s searches of all privacy activity, with locals showing the least interest in VPN information. Altogether, Vermont residents make 66,000 monthly privacy-related searches.

Rhode Island ranks in fifth place and stands out as America’s VPN hub, with 37,200 monthly VPN searches out of a total of 107,000. When adjusted for population, this exceeds even California’s VPN interest. VPN searches represent 35% of Rhode Island’s privacy search activity, compared to just 8% nationally.

South Dakota ranks sixth. Incognito mode dominates South Dakota’s privacy searches, making up 38% of all privacy activity in the state.

The state makes 31,800 monthly incognito searches, which is notable for a population of just 931,000. South Dakota shows very little interest in VPNs, with only 2,200 monthly VPN queries out of the overall 84,000 online privacy searches.

North Dakota takes seventh place, and unlike its southern neighbor, its residents focus on clearing cookies.

This tactic makes up 34% of its 72,000 monthly privacy searches. North Dakota also posts 5 times more VPN searches than South Dakota (11,600 vs 2,200), despite having a smaller population.

Colorado ranks eighth overall, driven by high interest in cookie clearing. Out of 453,000 monthly privacy-related searches, nearly half are focused on clearing cookies.

In total, Colorado generates 215,300 monthly cookie searches, which is more than most entire regions of the country.

New Hampshire ranks ninth with a strong preference for cookie management. Out of 102,000 monthly privacy-related searches, nearly half focus on clearing cookies, significantly higher than the national average. Like other New England states, VPN usage remains low.

Hawaii completes the top 10 with residents primarily searching for ways to delete search history. This single tactic accounts for 47,900 monthly searches – nearly half of Hawaii’s 101,000 monthly privacy queries. This makes Hawaii the second most search-history-focused state in the top 10, just behind Alaska.

“Digital privacy has become a mainstream concern rather than a niche interest,” says Justas B., Head of Marketing at Webshare. “What’s fascinating is how Americans are choosing accessibility over complexity. Rather than adopting sophisticated privacy tools, most people prefer simple browser-based solutions they can implement immediately. This suggests there’s still significant room for privacy education and better tool design.”