Snapchat lets parents see WHO their children are speaking to - but there is a catch

Snapchat is allowing parents to keep a watchful eye over their children and see who they are chatting with.

Approved adults can snoop on their teenagers by checking who they are friends with on the app and who they have messaged.

The new feature is part of a major safety update on the platform which is expected to be welcomed by parents and guardians who can also secretly report any worrying accounts.

But the bold move could also annoy terrible teens who enjoy the secretive nature of Snapchat.

Parents will be able to see who their kids are talking to on the app from their own smartphone or tablet but they will not be able to view the contents of any conversation.

Access to the feature will be granted to caregivers aged 25 and over who will need to create their own Snapchat account.

Parents will be able to see who their children are speaking with on Snapchat (REUTERS)

Using the Family Center tool, they can connect with the child and gain access to the special monitoring section.

The feature also relies on youngsters' honesty as it only works on accounts registered to teenagers aged 13 to 18.

Stricter rules are already applied to these accounts which include only being able to message people they are friends with.

Teen accounts are already subject to stricter rules, such as only being able to message contacts who they have as friends.

"Family Center is designed to reflect the way that parents engage with their teens in the real world, where parents usually know who their teens are friends with and when they are hanging out," the company said in a statement.

The safety feature still doesn't allow parents to see the contents of their children's messages (REUTERS)

"But don’t eavesdrop on their private conversations. Our goal is to help empower parents and teens in a way that still protects a teenager’s autonomy and privacy."

The Family Center feature has been rolled out in the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia with plans for other countries to follow in the autumn.

Meanwhile, the company hopes to add even more safety features including an alert for parents whenever their children add a new friend.

The feature could potentially help concerned parents (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Parents will also gain access to new content controls while teenagers will be able to notify their parents when they report any content or accounts.

Snap's new tools follow a similar move by Instagram which launched its Family Center in March, allowing parents to see what accounts their teenage children follow and how much time they spend on the app.

But unlike Instagram, Snapchat's tool will not permit parents to set limits for children to use the app.