Navigating student anxiety surrounding new friend-ranking feature on Snapchat+
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
With 60% of students ages 13 to 17 using Snapchat, it’s clear that the platform has remained popular among students since its launch in 2011. Snapchat’s features have evolved over the years, and its most recent launch of Snapchat+, a subscription-based service, has features users can only access if they’re paying members. However, according to students, one of Snapchat+’s features is creating anxiety, hurt feelings, and drama in student friendships and relationships.
One of the new features of Snapchat+ allows subscribers to check “where they rank with a particular friend“ based on how often that friend sends them a “snap,” which can be a picture or text chat. This feature, designed by Snapchat to get people to engage more with the app, has created misunderstandings and anxiety for many students when they’re not happy with where they rank on a friend’s list. And though students have to pay to access this feature, some have admitted to paying for Snapchat+ just to check their status with a friend or crush.
While Snapchat offers many ways for students to connect and communicate, it can have downsides. The friend-ranking feature may make students feel they need to spend their money and time on the app to stay popular within their social circles and avoid FOMO.
Students are pretty savvy when it comes to social media, but they still need support from educators and their role models in navigating social media-related anxiety. By creating a supportive and informed environment in their school, educators can empower students to prioritize their well-being when faced with challenges posed by features like Snapchat’s friend ranking.
Students speak out about how Snapchat’s friend-ranking features make them feel
Despite launching over 13 years ago, Snapchat has kept itself relevant among students with fun and engaging updates. But recently, some students have been speaking out about certain Snapchat features that are adding to their anxiety. One feature is part of Snapchat’s subscription-based service, Snapchat+, which costs subscribers $4 monthly. By subscribing, users can check where they rank on a friend’s list based on how often that friend communicates with them versus other friends. This feature is not completely new— Snapchat users used to be able to see who their friends’ top three friends were and “whether they made the list,” but Snapchat discontinued this feature in 2015.
So, how does this new feature work? According to Snapchat, “A Snapchat+ subscriber will see a ‘Best Friends’ or ‘Friends’ badge with a gold ring around it on someone’s Friendship Profile. ‘Best Friends’ means you’re one of each other’s eight closest friends, and ‘Friends’ means you’re one of their eight closest friends, but they’re not yours. Tapping on the badge will show you which planet you are in their Solar System, with each planet representing a different position in their Best Friends list. For example, if your friend is the Sun and you’re Earth in their Solar System, you’re their third closest friend.”
More than 20 million students in the U.S. use Snapchat, but most don’t pay for Snapchat+. However, many students who subscribe have reported that friendships and relationships suffer because of its friend-ranking feature. And some have even signed up for Snapchat+ just to check their status with a friend or crush.
Callie Schietinger, a 15-year-old from New York, said she had problems with a boyfriend when he noticed he was Neptune in her solar system, not Mercury. “It’s everyone’s biggest fear put onto an app,” Callie says. “Ranking is never good for anyone’s head.”
Callie spoke about the stress and misunderstandings this feature has caused her and her friends, and she will not renew her Snapchat+ subscription when it expires.
Other students have echoed these sentiments, even though they do not subscribe to Snapchat+. Another free Snapchat feature that shows where students stand with friends via emojis also gives users insights on where they stand on a friend’s list. This feature uses emojis that appear if two people are on each other’s private best friend lists. One 17-year-old student and youth digital safety advocate in London, Maximilian Milovidov, says he felt hurt when he found out he was lower on a friend’s list than he thought. Because of this, he does not plan on getting Snapchat+ because it would only create more anxiety for him.
On the other end, Isabelle da Costa, a 20-year-old college student in Atlanta, credits her current relationship to Snapchat’s friend rankings after she messaged a boy she was interested in about their “bestie” standing. Isabelle’s relationship has lasted four years, and while she recognizes that it may not always be the case, Snapchat’s “bestie” rankings worked out for her. For friends Sarah and Amy, Snapchat has kept them connected for almost seven years, even as they live on opposite ends of the world. “Sarah and I have spent countless hours together, beaming into each other’s faces and disappearing into the ether. It’s like carrying your best friend around in your pocket, having them there for the best, worst, and mundane parts of your life,” says Amy.
Though Snapchat brings the possibility of creating meaningful memories and interactions with others, its friend-ranking features may add to students’ anxiety, as it can call into question where students stand within their relationships with others. This underscores the importance of educators empowering students to navigate these pressures, emphasizing that one’s worth is not defined by social media but by genuine connections.
TSI’s Take
With 51% of students visiting Snapchat daily, the platform can significantly influence students’ social dynamics and general well-being. As educators, it’s essential to recognize the complexities of navigating social media-related anxiety among students. While platforms like Snapchat offer opportunities for students to connect, share memories, and communicate with their peers, they also come with unique challenges. The pressure to maintain a certain standing on the app can create feelings of inadequacy and stress, affecting students online and offline.
Here are some tips to equip students to navigate the challenges posed by Snapchat’s features and support their well-being:
- Encourage self-reflection: Prompt students to reflect on their interactions within Snapchat and how they shape their well-being and relationships.
- Teach coping mechanisms: Provide students with tools to manage stress and anxiety from social media like Snapchat, including mindfulness practices and relaxation techniques.
- Establish boundaries: Assist students in setting healthy boundaries with Snapchat, emphasizing the importance of balancing online engagement with offline activities and fostering meaningful connections.
Want more tips to help equip your students to navigate Snapchat and its features in high-character ways? Download The Social Institute’s Snapchat Platform Playbook to learn what Snapchat is and how students use it, the features to be aware of within the app, and ways to encourage students to use it positively.
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
Students Callie, Maximilian, and Isabelle shared how friend-ranking Snapchat features have been negatively impacting their own and their friends’ emotions. In your opinion, how can we use social media to promote mental well-being and positive relationships while also minimizing the pressures and anxieties associated with platforms like Snapchat?
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.