Inside Teen Life on Snapchat: Friendship, Flirting, and the Rise of Tech-Facilitated Abuse

CoE-EDP, VisionRI | Updated: 04-01-2026 09:25 IST | Created: 04-01-2026 09:25 IST Researchers from University College London’s Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry and Institute of Education, together with scholars from Western University in Canada and Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, set out to understand how Snapchat shapes teenage relationships, intimacy, and harm. Their study focuses on British teens aged 13 to 18 and was conducted after COVID-19 lockdowns, when young people spent more time online. Rather than treating Snapchat as simply a risky app, the researchers show how it has become a core part of teenage social life, influencing how young people make friends, flirt, explore sexuality, and experience abuse. Everyday Connection and New Friendships For most participants, Snapchat was an essential communication tool. Teens described using it constantly to message friends, share jokes, send photos, and feel close to others, especially during lockdown when face-to-face contact was limited. The app’s disappearing messages and casual photo-sharing felt less pressured than other platforms, making it easier to be spontaneous and “real.” At the same time, Snapchat encouraged teens to connect with people they did not fully know. The “Quick Add” feature suggested new contacts based on mutual friends, and many
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