Why Parents Should Be Concerned About Snapstreaks

By Andrea Nelson

September 13, 2024

Closeup of hands of two teens using Snapchat to send Snap streaks with cell phones

If you have a tween or teen, you’re probably aware of how insanely important Snapchat is to kids today. Snapstreaks are one of the things they likely obsess about. But what are Snap streaks? And why should parents be concerned about them?

What is a Snap streak?

A Snapstreak is a running total of the number of consecutive days two users send each other Snaps (pictures or videos). But in the social world of tweens and teens, they’ve become so much more.

Kids often use Snapstreaks to measure the strength of a friendship and might display Snapstreaks as a means of social capital.

How do Snap streaks work?

Snapstreaks are a two-way street: both users need to send each other Snaps for it to count. Once the two users have exchanged Snaps for at least three days in a row, a 🔥emoji will appear next to the chat.

The number next to the flame indicates how many days the streak has continued unbroken. Snapstreaks expire if both users don’t send a message within a 24-hour window.

If a Snapstreak is about to expire, a ⌛️emoji will appear next to the chat, warning the users to send a message right away to avoid losing their streak.

The upside of Snapstreaks

While there’s plenty for parents to be concerned about when it comes to Snapstreaks, they’re not all bad. Making a point to connect with a particular person every day can be a great way to strengthen a friendship or let the other person see a little part of their day.

Snapstreaks become concerning when they take an outsized importance in a kid’s life, eating up time and having an negative emotional impact on them.

The downside of Snapstreaks

Here are some of the issues parents should monitor when it comes to Snapstreaks and their kids:

FOMO. Snapstreaks can be serious fuel for Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Although Snapstreaks are technically private, many users choose to share by posting screenshots of their streaks. This can lead to a constant social comparison between peers and the perceived need to stay active on Snapchat. In fact, studies have shown that FOMO is a key motivator for teenagers to utilize social media.
Addictive behavior. Let’s not mince words: Snapchat (like all social media) needs users to engage with the platform as much as possible so they can generate ad revenue. After all, as the saying goes, if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product. This means that companies design features with the goal of hooking users on the platform, and Snapstreaks are one of the most blatant examples of this. It’s important that parents help their kids recognize this and take steps to guard against internet addiction.
Negative social dynamics. Snapstreaks have made their way into the social hierarchy of teens, with many attributing a person’s popularity to the number of streaks they have going. This can lead to teens obsessing about keeping up with Snap streaks and feeling devastated if the other person causes a streak to lapse.

The tangible cost of Snapstreaks

Beyond the social-emotional cost of Snapstreaks, some users pay real money to maintain them. If a streak expires, it’s possible to restore it within a certain window.

For free accounts, users get one free Snapstreak Restore. Users paying $3.99 a month for Snapchat+ get five free Snapstreak Restores. Once those free restores are gone, users have the option to pay 99 cents per restore.

While that might not seem like much, consider a teen who has 50 Snapstreaks, is grounded from their phone for 48 hours, and wants to restore all their streaks when they get their device back. The costs could add up quickly!

Final thoughts

Snapstreaks play an important role in the social fabric of today’s teens. Parents need to be aware of the negative impacts Snapstreaks can have on their kids, such as fueling addictive behavior, and take steps to help them have a healthy relationship with social media and technology.