Messages on Snapchat delete by default to reflect the lightness and spontaneity of real life conversations between friends. Like prior generations who have enjoyed the privacy afforded by phone calls, which aren’t recorded, millions of teens use our service to convey their full range of emotions without permanence.
This allows teens to share more than just the picture perfect, made-for-social media moments. With Snapchat, teens share the good and the bad, the ups and the downs, helping them grow closer to their friends.
Even though messages on Snapchat delete by default, we let everyone know that images and videos can be saved or screenshot by the recipient. When we take action on illegal or potentially harmful content, we also retain that content for an extended period, which allows us to support law enforcement in their investigations and help hold bad actors accountable.
In addition to providing easy-to-use tools to allow Snapchatters to report potentially violative or concerning content to us, we use proactive detection tools to help ensure public content complies with our guidelines, and human moderators review all public content before it can be recommended for distribution to a wide audience.
