# My child says everyone else has Snapchat. What do I do?

Hold the line, but listen: your child isn't really asking for an app, they're asking not to be left out. You can say no to Snapchat and still take that seriously. Here's how to do both.

By Øyvind Østmo · Published 1 Aug 2026 · https://www.balansebarn.no/en/answers/my-child-wants-snapchat

“Everyone else has it” is rarely the whole truth. It's rarely pure invention either. [The Norwegian Media Authority's 2026 figures](https://www.medietilsynet.no/fakta/rapporter/barn-og-medier/2026/fanget-i-feeden-1/) show that half of all 9 and 10 year olds are on social media, despite the age limit of 13. So your child isn't making things up so much as describing the gap between the rule and the reality fairly accurately. And what they're actually asking for is rarely the app itself. It's not being shut out of the place where everyone else is.

Which is why the useful move is answering the need, not the request:

- **Take the missing out seriously.** “I get why it feels rotten to be left out” costs you nothing and takes more heat out of the moment than any argument will.
- **Give a reason, not just a no.** The age limit on [Snapchat](https://www.balansebarn.no/en/app-guide/snapchat) is 13, and the reasons behind it are laid out in [the answer about Snapchat and 10-year-olds](/en/answers/should-a-10-year-old-have-snapchat). Your child deserves to hear why, in your own words.
- **Help them stay in the loop anyway.** A lot of the social planning happens inside the apps, so do your part outside them: invite friends over, compare notes with other parents and make sure your child hears about the things that are happening.
- **Make the wait predictable.** “When you turn 13, we'll set it up together” is a plan a child can live with. “We'll see” is an open invitation to nag.

> “Everyone else has it” is easy to write off as nagging, but I think it deserves a proper listen. It's your child's way of telling you the social map is being drawn somewhere they can't go. You can keep the limit and still take that message seriously. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

> “I completely get why you want Snapchat when so many of your classmates have it. I'm saying no to the app, not to your friends. The age limit is 13, and that's the rule in our house. But I'd love to help you stay part of what's going on. Who would you like to invite over this week?”

## Something you can do today

Ask your child today: “What do you feel you're missing out on without Snapchat?” Then pick one thing from the answer, a plan, a visit, something that takes organising, and help them make it happen without the app this week.

**Read also:** [Kids and social media, a parent's guide](https://www.balansebarn.no/en/articles/guide-to-kids-and-social-media) — For the day the answer becomes yes: how to set the app up together, what to turn off first, and the agreement that means your child comes to you when something feels off.

## Sources

- [Medietilsynet (2026): «Fanget i feeden», barn og ungdommers bruksmønstre i sosiale medier](https://www.medietilsynet.no/fakta/rapporter/barn-og-medier/2026/fanget-i-feeden-1/) — The report draws among other things on the survey Barn og medier 2026, covering 1,753 children between 9 and 18. 51 per cent of 9 and 10 year olds use social media, despite the age limit of 13.
- [Snap Inc.: Terms of Service, minstealder 13 år](https://snap.com/terms)