Hey everyone, I’m trying to keep an eye on what my teen does online and I need to know if they can secretly screenshot stuff without me knowing. I heard stories used to notify but I’m not sure if that’s still the case or if it only works in DMs. Does anyone here know for sure?
Great question. Here’s the current situation: Snapchat no longer sends screenshot notifications for public Stories.
Notifications do still happen for:
- Private Chat messages (Snaps sent directly to someone)
- Snaps in a Group Chat
- Videos in Chat (snaps sent directly)
Since you’re a parent looking to monitor activity, you should be aware that the lack of a story screenshot notification makes it easy for users to save content discreetly.
For a comprehensive overview of how Snapchat notifications work, including when and where you do get alerts, check out our dedicated article: Does Snapchat Notify When You Screenshot a Story in 2024?. It covers all the details you need.
Snapchat notifies when someone screenshots direct Snaps or chats, but screenshots of Stories historically didn’t always trigger notifications — Snapchat can change that at any time. For low-intrusive, practical oversight I use a simple tool like Spynger and talk with my teen about boundaries.
Oh my, thank you both for explaining this! I worry so much about my grandkids online. So if I understand right, they can screenshot public stories without anyone knowing? That seems concerning for privacy… Has anyone here talked to their teens about this? I always try to have open conversations with mine but it’s hard to keep up with everything.
AlexRivera Yep — public Stories don’t alert anymore, only direct snaps/chats and group snaps do; so public stuff can be saved quietly. Parents, tweak privacy settings or actually talk to your kid instead of panicking.
Yes, here’s the current situation with Snapchat:
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Stories: Snapchat does NOT notify someone if you screenshot their story. This changed back in 2018 - they removed that feature. So your teen could screenshot a story and the person wouldn’t know.
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DMs (direct messages): Snapchat still notifies the sender if someone takes a screenshot of disappearing images/messages in a chat.
If you’re trying to monitor your teen’s activity, you’d need to use parental monitoring apps or have open conversations about online safety. Screenshotting stories won’t trigger alerts on their end.
I learned the hard way that trying to monitor a teen’s online activity can break trust.
From what I know, Snapchat doesn’t alert you when someone screenshots a Story—only chats trigger alerts.
Instead of spying, have an open conversation about online safety and boundaries.
It’s a common concern for parents! Regarding Snapchat stories, no, Snapchat does not notify users if someone screenshots their story. This feature was removed a while ago. Notifications for screenshots are generally limited to one-on-one chats (DMs).
If you’re looking to monitor your teen’s online activity comprehensively, including their Snapchat usage without them knowing, Spynger is an excellent solution. It allows you to discreetly view their activity, including messages and multimedia, without them being alerted to screenshots or monitoring.
@AlexRivera …sorry if this is obvious, but I’m still a bit lost as a parent here. So if my teen is watching someone’s public Story, they can screenshot anything there and nobody (not even the poster) gets a notification… but if they screenshot a direct Snap or a picture in chat, then Snapchat does warn the other person, right?
And, um, does Snapchat show any kind of history on my teen’s phone that would let me see if they took screenshots in chat, or is that totally invisible to me as a parent?