Snapchat Find Friends, the feature that suggests people you might know and used to be called Quick Add, is now off by default for users under 18 in the UK. Snap’s help pages say teens there will not be suggested to strangers unless they switch the setting on. Outside the UK nothing changes automatically, but any parent or user can turn the same setting off in about a minute.
The short version
Snap has switched off Find Friends suggestions by default for UK users under 18 after pressure from the UK regulator Ofcom. Everyone else can make the same change by hand.
- In the UK, both “Enable Find Friends” and “Show me in Find Friends” are off for under-18s unless they turn them on.
- Adults are not notified when a UK Snapchatter under 18 joins or shows up as a new contact, according to Snap.
- Ofcom said in May that these protections apply only to children using Snapchat in the UK.
- Anywhere else, you can go to Settings, then My Privacy & Data, then Who Can See Me In Find Friends, and turn it off.
- Snap says a change to this setting can take up to 72 hours to take effect.
What changed with Snapchat Find Friends in the UK
According to Snap’s safety update for UK users, “friend suggestions in Find Friends will be off by default for users under 18 in the UK.” Both the “Enable Find Friends” and “Show me in Find Friends” switches stay off unless the teen turns them on, and adults are not told when a UK user under 18 joins or appears as a new contact.
Snap also warns teens what switching it back on means: “you could see and be seen by adults and people you may not know.”
The change follows commitments Snap made to Ofcom. In its May 2026 statement, Ofcom said “children will no longer be encouraged to expand their friendship groups to people they don’t know,” and noted that “these protections apply only to children using Snap in the UK.”
In plain terms: A teen in the UK gets this protection without doing anything. A teen anywhere else gets it only if someone changes the setting.
How to turn off Snapchat Find Friends on any account
These steps come from Snap’s own help pages. Do them on the teen’s phone, together, so they know where the setting lives.
- Open Snapchat and go to your Profile.
- Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll down to the App & Privacy section and tap My Privacy & Data.
- Tap Who Can See Me In Find Friends and turn it off.
Snap says the change can take up to 72 hours to work. Some Snap help pages label the menu Privacy Controls instead of My Privacy & Data, depending on your app version, so look for Find Friends under either one.
Why Find Friends matters for teens
Friend suggestions are how many people find each other on Snapchat, and that includes people a teen has never met. Turning off “Show me in Find Friends” means a teen’s account is not pushed in front of strangers as a suggested friend. Friends who already know their username can still add them, so it does not cut them off from their real friends.
It is one setting, not a full safety plan. Our guide to setting up kids’ devices safely covers the rest, and our guide to protecting children’s data online explains what apps collect.
