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Is Your Kid Hiding a Secret Life on Snapchat? What “My Eyes Only” Really Means!

By Familyguide / July 21, 2025

By Mallory Mattingly

Parents, are you aware of Snapchat’s “My Eyes Only,” a seemingly private space for photos and videos? Safety expert Officer Gomez is raising awareness about how this feature can potentially conceal risky behavior in children.

“Snapchat includes a secret, built-in vault that many parents don’t even know exists. It’s called ‘My Eyes Only,’ and it’s designed to keep photos and videos hidden using a PIN code,” Gomez explained in a recent Facebook post, referring to it as “Snapchat’s Hidden Vault.”

According to Snapchat, “My Eyes Only is for Snaps that you want to keep extra private! After you move Snaps and Stories from your Memories to My Eyes Only, you’ll need to enter your My Eyes Only passcode to see them again.”

However, this feature is sometimes used by kids to conceal photos related to drugs, nudity, parties, or other content they prefer to keep hidden from parents.

“It’s a parent’s responsibility to investigate. You might protect your child—or someone else’s—by checking this secret vault,” Gomez advised.

He also provided simple steps to access Snapchat’s “My Eyes Only” feature:

Open the Snapchat app (yellow icon with a white ghost). You’ll land on the main camera screen (where kids take Snaps).

Tap the small “double card” icon near the capture button. This opens the Memories screen (photos & videos saved from Snapchat).

Look at the top tabs and tap “My Eyes Only.” If a PIN code is requested, there’s a vault set up.

If it asks for a PIN code, ask your child for it.

Common excuses include:

Related: Snapchat Adds New Features to Help Parents Keep Kids Safe

– “I forgot the code.”

– “I never set it up.”

(You can decide how far to push from there.)

If access is granted, review the contents carefully. Just know: this vault is separate from their private disappearing messages, which are a different layer of concern.

The dangers of Snapchat are very real.

One father in Ontario, Canada, shared with CBC Canada how his son developed a drug addiction after connecting with dealers on Snapchat.

“He can’t get through the day without using drugs,” the father said about his 15-year-old.

His son’s cannabis addiction has led to more dangerous substances like LSD.

“It became very scary going from ‘It’s just a little weed’ to something like that,” the father explained. “I can see that he’s talked to people. I can’t see the messages.”

Knowing about features like “My Eyes Only” is a key step parents can take to help protect their children in the digital world.

Read Next: Did Snapchat Enable Sextortion? This State’s AG Says Yes

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