From building apps to building boundaries: A Former Snapchat Executive’s Tips For Parents

I joined Snapchat 8 years ago to help bring the magic of storytelling and journalism to the platform. I helped create content experiences that kept millions engaged. A few years into my tenure when the early conversations about parental controls at Snapchat began– it coincided with when my kids started to get interested in YouTube.  I came to a crossroads. I had strong ideas about what sort of safety I wanted in a social media platform because of my experiences as a parent. In short I wanted a lot of agency over the experience my children could have.  This was at odds with the less is more approach that Snapchat was taking.

My strong ideas ultimately steered towards a new career path. Today, I’m a digital parenting educator, speaker, and coach. I help families, schools, community groups become tech savvy parents. 

My mission is to help parents understand how technology products are designed—and how to protect their children’s time, attention, and mental health.

From building apps to building boundaries

During my years at Snapchat, I worked closely with product and policy teams on content guidelines, safety features, and early thinking around parental controls. That front‑row seat taught me three things that I want all parents to know

• Most social apps were built for adults first, and kids were added later.

• Safety features almost always arrive after growth, not before.

• These platforms are designed to capture as much time and attention as possible, we are the product

Those insights and the knowledge I have acquired as a mom figuring all this out for my own kids inform the support I provide to families today. I have translated what I know into plain‑language workshops, practical frameworks, and everyday scripts parents can use to become knowledgeable and confident about the digital decisions they are making for their kids.

Read the full article at globaldayofunplugging.org