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How do you see who my friends follow on snapchat?

Unfortunately, Snapchat does not have a direct way to see who your friends are following within the app. The privacy-focused nature of Snapchat means your friends’ follow lists are not viewable to anyone else.

Why You Can’t View Friends’ Follows on Snapchat

Snapchat was designed as an ephemeral messaging app, where content disappears after being viewed. This promotes sharing casual, in-the-moment content without worrying about it sticking around permanently. The app has evolved to include Stories and other permanent content, but the privacy-first mentality remains.

User profiles on Snapchat are very bare-bones compared to other social media platforms. You can see a Snapchat friend’s display name, Bitmoji if they have linked one, friend count, Snap score, and any public Stories they have posted. But you cannot see their followers or who they are following.

Snapchat does this intentionally to protect user privacy and prevent targeted harassment based on follow lists. The only person who can view a Snapchat user’s complete friends and follows lists is the account holder themselves.

Workarounds to See Who Friends Follow

While Snapchat itself does not allow you to view friends’ follows, there are some workarounds using third-party apps and social media platforms:

View Connected Accounts on Friend’s Profile

Snapchat allows you to link accounts like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok to your Snapchat profile. Friends who have done this will display icons below their username showing their connected accounts.

Viewing these connected accounts can give you an idea of who your friend might follow on other platforms, which may correlate to their Snapchat follows. However, this is an indirect method and not every Snapchat user will have linked accounts.

See Follows of Friends Who Have Public Accounts

Some Snapchat users, especially influencers and creators, have public profiles. This allows anyone to view their Story without adding them as a friend. You can find public figures by searching on Snapchat.

Friends who have public accounts will show a Follow button instead of Add Friend. You can tap Follow to see who they are following publically. Again, this only works on friends who have specifically set their profile to public.

Ask Your Friend Directly

The most straightforward workaround is to simply ask your friend who they follow on Snapchat. They have access to their full follows list and can screenshot or tell you names if they want to share that.

Keep in mind that some friends may wish to keep their follow list private for personal reasons. Don’t pressure friends into sharing their follows if they seem hesitant.

View Friends on Other Social Platforms

Lastly, viewing who your friends follow on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or YouTube can provide hints about their Snapchat activity. Many people follow the same accounts and friends across multiple platforms.

Cross-referencing follows on other social networks with Snapchat usernames can potentially indicate connections. But again, this does not directly reveal Snapchat follows.

Why You Might Want to See Friends’ Follows

There are a few main reasons why Snapchat users are interested in seeing their friends’ follow lists:

Discover New Accounts to Follow

Viewing who your friends follow can surface popular or interesting Snapchat accounts you may want to follow yourself. Friends often follow similar creators, celebrities, trends, etc. Checking out their follows can provide Snapchat account suggestions you may have otherwise missed.

Gauge Shared Interests

You can also learn more about a friend’s interests and hobbies based on the accounts they follow. This can spark conversation topics or ideas for spending time together if you share common interests.

Get Insights on Friendships

For some, seeing friends’ follows is a way to gain insights into their social circles and friendships outside your own. You may discover mutual friends or acquaintances you didn’t realize your friend was interacting with via Snapchat.

Curiosity or Concerns

In some cases, the desire to view friends’ follows comes from simple curiosity or even concerns about who they are connecting with. Parents in particular may want to see who their children are following and communicating with on Snapchat.

Tips for Using Snapchat Privately

For those looking to maintain their privacy on Snapchat, here are some tips:

  • Don’t link other social media accounts that display follows publicly.
  • Use Snapchat’s Ghost Mode to selectively hide your location and activity status.
  • Limit your Snapchat presence to close friends only.
  • Block or delete friends who spread rumors or share private information.
  • Report harassment, bullying, or other issues directly to Snapchat.
  • Avoid connecting with suspicious accounts you don’t know.

Parental Control Options

Parents who want insight into who their children follow on Snapchat do have some options:

  • Open, honest conversations about online safety and digital citizenship.
  • Discuss concerns and set boundaries about inappropriate follows.
  • Utilize device parental controls and app limits.
  • Monitor device and account usage through family sharing features.
  • Check notification previews (taking care not to pry excessively).

But ultimately Snapchat does not provide a direct way to spy on friends’ or childrens’ follows. Respect for privacy is key, even on social media.

Why Snapchat Doesn’t Allow Follow Snooping

Snapchat limiting profile visibility reinforces safer, more authentic sharing. Features like Stories still allow you to discover new content, but reduce the risks of targeted harassment or misrepresentation that comes with public follows/followers counts. The app wants to avoid the performative “clout chasing” mentality of other platforms.

For better or worse, Snapchat champions privacy and anonymity. The inability to see friends’ follows reflects these priorities. It discourages using the app primarily for gossip, drama, or social comparison the way more public platforms tend to be used.

Overall, Snapchat’s follower privacy, ephemerality, and protections around younger users make sense given concerns about social media’s impact on mental health and self-esteem, especially for teens and kids. Parents may feel differently, but these safeguards align with Snapchat’s brand.

Other Social Media Platform Comparison

On other major social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, your friends’ follow lists are completely public knowledge. You can browse who anyone is following at any time (unless they have a private account).

YouTube is more similar to Snapchat, in that normal account subscribers are hidden. Only channel owners can see their full subscriber list. However, YouTube influencers often have public follow counts displayed.

Snapchat is on the far end of the privacy spectrum in not disclosing any follow or friends lists to anyone besides the account owner. This approach has benefits but also drawbacks for users seeking transparency and connection within their social circles.

The Future of Privacy Controls

As Snapchat continues evolving as a social media platform, there are opportunities to improve privacy controls and visibility options to serve both individuals and parents:

  • Optional follower counts for those who want them
  • Granular settings around Story visibility
  • Approved friends lists to limit interactions
  • Enhanced parental oversight tools
  • Anonymous reporting of concerning accounts

Implementing more nuanced privacy settings could maintain Snapchat’s positive focus on safety while offering users more flexibility. However, the platform’s core emphasis on ephemeral and non-public sharing is unlikely to change significantly.

Conclusion

Snapchat’s privacy-centric approach prevents snooping on friends’ follows. While some workarounds exist via social media cross-referencing, there is no direct way to view who someone is following within Snapchat itself.

This can be frustrating for parents or those seeking transparency around their child’s or friend’s social circles. But Snapchat values privacy and discretion in ways other social networks do not.

As social media matures, there will likely be an evolution towards more granular privacy controls balancing safety and transparency. But Snapchat’s DNA resists public social comparison and clout chasing, for better or worse.