Snapchat has demoted a controversial feature that ranked friends based on their relationships with users over concerns that it was stirring up anxiety among teenage viewers.
The social media site announced that it will disable the default setting that automatically enables the “Solar System” feature on its $4-a-month subscription service, Snapchat+.
This tool is a ranking mechanism that assigns one of nine planets to your friends based on their frequency of mutual communication, similar to the planet’s distance from the sun.
“We understand that it can feel good to know that you are close to someone, but it can also make you feel bad to know that you are not as close to your friends as you thought.” the social media app said in a statement last week.
When the service was introduced in 2022, Snapchat+ subscribers were enrolled by default. Now, the company says those who want it will have to turn it on manually.
“We hope this strikes the right balance between providing features that many users want while not upsetting those who don’t want to use them,” the company said.
“We will also take time to further evaluate this feature and determine if there are additional ways we can improve it for our community.”
More than 20 million teens in the U.S. use the app, but most don’t pay for Snapchat+.
Snapchat says the ranking system helps provide “additional recognition and context” to online friendships, which “often lack the same context and social signals” as in-person or verbal communication. said.
So those who were considered closest friends were tagged with “Mercury” and “Uranus” was meant to represent distance in a relationship.
Last month, Callie Seetinger, a 15-year-old from Yorktown, New York, said her relationship with her boyfriend soured after she discovered he was the planet Neptune in her solar system.
Ms. Sittinger said she was furious when she told her boyfriend that a male friend had a Mercury position.
“A lot of kids my age have a hard time distinguishing between their best friends on Snapchat and their real-life best friends in real life.” Sittinger told the Wall Street Journal.
Several other Snapchat+ subscribers told the Journal that their friendships ended and romantic relationships failed as a result of the solar system rankings.
Sittinger said she broke up with her boyfriend, but there were other reasons besides the app.
She said she will not be renewing her Snapchat+ subscription, which expires next month.
“That’s the biggest fear everyone has about apps,” Seetinger said.
“Rankings are never good for anyone.”
Snapchat and other social media apps are being sued in several jurisdictions for posing mental health risks to young people.
In February, New York City filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, TikTok, Meta Platforms Inc., and Google, alleging that the platforms are designed to be addictive and harmful to the health of young people.
Many other cities and departments of education have filed similar lawsuits.
