Snapchat is a photo and video messaging app that allows users to add each other as friends to share snaps and stories. Snapchat uses the phone numbers and usernames associated with your contact list to identify friends on the app. When a user appears in your list as ‘in my contacts’, it means that you have mutual friends on the app or that they are a friend of a common friend. This is a great feature of the app that helps you find people with similar interests and connect with them.
Snapchat also provides an option to add people who don’t appear in your list as ‘in my contacts’ by scanning their snapcode with the camera. This is a unique image resembling a QR code that is unique to each Snapchat user and contains their username. Snapchat then matches this information with its database to suggest potential new friends.
Adding Snapchat friends is an important part of using the app. Friends on the platform can view your stories (a collection of photos and videos that self-destruct after 24 hours), send you snaps, and even follow your location on Snap Map.
Kids are particularly drawn to Snapchat because it supposedly gives them the ability to document their lives without anyone saving or keeping photos forever. It’s important for parents to talk to their children about the pitfalls of social media apps, especially those that are designed to make content disappear.