Snapchat Just Launched a Digital Safety 'Driver’s Ed' for Teens — & Parents Are Invited Too
If you’ve ever felt like your teen is way ahead of you when it comes to tech, you’re not alone. Parents often assume that because kids have grown up with phones in their hands, they know how to keep themselves safe online. But the truth is, being fluent in TikTok trends or knowing every Snapchat filter doesn’t mean they’re prepared for real online risks like bullying, sextortion, illicit drug activity, or the pressure to share intimate images.
That’s exactly why Snapchat just rolled out a new interactive program called The Keys: A Guide to Digital Safety — and unlike most “online safety talks,” this one is built to include parents, too.
Developed in collaboration with Common Sense Media, informed by safety experts, and reviewed by members of Snap’s teen Council for Digital Well-Being, The Keys is designed to feel less like a lecture and more like practice. The 45-minute course is split into two parts: the first covers the major risks teens face online, while the second focuses on Snapchat’s own safety features, parental controls, and reporting tools. Along the way, teens move through short videos, audio “real-life stories,” reflection prompts, and interactive knowledge checks that push them to think through how they’d respond in tricky situations.
Rather than simply warning kids to “be careful,” the program drops them into scenarios that feel uncomfortably real. One lesson shows how a group chat can turn into bullying after a missed soccer goal, and asks teens to decide whether the character should stay, leave, or report it. Another explores what happens when a supposedly private image gets shared around school, making clear how quickly things can spiral and introducing resources like Take It Down, which helps stop the spread of explicit images online. A different example highlights the dangers of buying pills from friends, underscoring how easy it is for counterfeit drugs to contain fentanyl.
The advice throughout is concrete: block and report harmful behavior, reach out to a trusted adult, and use the protective tools built into the platforms kids already use. By presenting these choices in the moment, The Keys helps teens practice responses before they find themselves facing the real thing.
Parents are encouraged to take the program alongside their kids, turning it into a joint learning experience instead of yet another one-way lecture. That structure gives adults a clear window into the kinds of pressures teens are actually navigating, while also creating natural openings for tough conversations that might otherwise never happen.
“This program goes beyond spreading awareness — it builds practical skills by tackling the most challenging situations teenagers could potentially face online,” said Jacqueline Beauchere, Snap’s Global Head of Platform Safety. “We hope The Keys will help provide teens with the confidence they need to safely navigate digital spaces.”
Parents had Driver’s Ed to prepare for the road. Today’s teens need The Keys to prepare for the internet. And this time, you’re invited to take the ride with them.