In collaboration with the General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM), Snap Inc. has launched Family Center in the Kingdom, making it one of the first Arab countries to launch the service.

The new in-app tool gives parents more control over their children’s online activity, allowing them to see their friends list on Snapchat and whom they have been communicating with without revealing the substance of those conversations.

With the help of Family Center, parents can now easily and confidentially report any suspicious accounts directly to Snap’s Trust and Safety team, a dedicated unit that works around the clock to help keep Snapchatters safe. Snap has also launched new tools to encourage constructive and open conversations about online safety.

Esra Assery, CEO of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, said, “We are delighted to partner with Snap to roll out this feature in KSA, Family Center strikes the right balance between privacy and safety. The new service adds another layer of protection to existing safeguards, ensuring that teens must be mutual friends before they can start communicating with each other.”

“According to a study by Kantar and Snap Inc., 71% of parents in Saudi Arabia now use Snapchat. With the help of Family Center, parents can now easily and confidentially report any suspicious accounts directly to Snap’s Trust and Safety team to help keep the Snap community safe,” added Assery.

“While Saudi Arabia is making big leaps in digital transformation and enabling large-scale adoption of the latest technologies, it is imperative that we ensure safe online spaces for the Kingdom’s youth,” continued Assery.

Georg Wolfart, Head of Public Policy at Snap Inc. said, ” With Family Center, we are facilitating important conversations between parents and their children about online safety, which will positively impact online experiences for Saudi society in the long run.”

“Snap’s monthly addressable reach in the Kingdom has reached 20 million, making it one of the most popular platforms in Saudi Arabia, reaching over 90% of people aged 13 to 34,” stated Wolfart.

Snap plans additional safety features for Family Center in the coming months, including new content controls for parents and the ability for teens to notify their parents when they report an account or a piece of content to Snap’s Trust and Safety team.