What is Know2Protect?

Know To Protect

Snapchat initiated the awareness campaign, known as Know2Protect, after joining the USA Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is the latest public awareness campaign against CSEA online that promotes awareness about the threats that children face. Moreover, it exposes about risks of child sexual exploitation and abuse CSEA online on, which they invest to boost the efforts of DHS.

Now, Snapchat emphasizes putting their efforts manifold to spread awareness. Their purpose is to spread awareness about sexual threats that affect teens under 13 and also strengthen policymakers, youth, education institution officials, and parents. Read more!

Know2Protect Campaign

In 2024, Snapchat initiated the Know2Protect campaign as a founder, and they participated in the following ways:

Snapchat offered ad space for the awareness campaign and allowed the publication of educational content.
Snapchat also featured these awareness steps on its Privacy and Safety Hub.
Snapchat also introduced lenses to spread awareness about sexual threats.
Snapchat also enables you to protect yourself and the ones around you.

Phases of Research

Snapchat always steps ahead with reliable research sources to boost campaign growth. Details are here below:

Snapchat found that 28% of people knew about the Know2Protect campaign in October 2024.
Snap team also got to know that 46% were aware of the Know2Protect campaign.
Snap researchers also explored that 89% believed that this awareness campaign led them to get more information about it remotely.

Awareness for Prevention

According to the Know2Protect campaign manager, this collaboration is influential in identifying demographics with prevention and awareness messaging. Now, Snapchat has created an atmosphere that spreads awareness to protect themselves and those around them, creating a difference.

Snapchat integration with CSEA online also focuses on teenagers aged 13 to 17 and young people aged 18 to 24 in the USA. Additionally, Snap focuses on Gen Z’s experiences and continues spreading awareness about Know2Protect.

Research Findings

Snapchat surveyed, and the target age group of participants were teenagers and young adults from March 12 – 17, 2025. This poll aims to know about multiple remote sexual abuses that these age group people have had to face. See the results below:

In the USA, young adults and Generation Z teenagers will encounter the same issues related to online sexual threats in 2024. These incidents occur due to intimacy, sextortion, catfishing, and adulthood.
24% of victims disclosed their experience with intimate imagery. On the other hand, 33% shared that they have faced this issue online. At the same time, 35% agreed that they faced the issue of catfished, which is lower for up to 1%.
55% of victims face intimate imagery, and they get cheated by an individual’s individuality. 51% of them prefer to hide their identity.
Finally, their research shows that being catfished and sharing intimate imagery causes high threats based on sextortion.
Most of the participants disclosed that they exchanged intimate images with others with others and 61% exposed that they shared such imagery with others whom they met online.
Participants also agree that they experienced intimate imagery and catfishing, which is growing day by day and up to 4% compared to last year.
Worries about remote sites for sexual purposes grooming remain constant, and intimate imagery lowers down by a bit as compared to last year.

The above-mentioned research results show the continuous efforts of Snapchat researchers. They aim to prevent teenagers and young adults from being sexually harassed in six countries. This study covers the USA, UK, India, France, Australia and Germany.

Standing against CSEA Online

Snapchat aims to forbid CSEA from being online and uses the Know2Protect campaign to employ responsive measures. Snapchat assists the community in spreading awareness, taking multiple measures, and eliminating CSEA online and its followers.

PhotoDNA and CSAI Match

Snapchat deleted illegal videos and image duplication by combining CSAI Match and PhotoDNA technology. Snapchat also implements Google’s Content Safety API to track intimate imagery. To take control over CSEA online, Snapchat also employs behavioral signals to judge illegal and unethical activities.

Snapchat remains always available to save the children’s emotional and psychological health CSEA online by joining the following programs:

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC)
Tech Coalition’s Lantern Initiative
Take It Down Programs
UK National Society
Report Remove from the Internet Watch Foundation

Blocking and Reporting Tools

In 2023, Snapchat launched tolls for reporting and blocking to continue with a reporting system for sextortion. Snapchat has done the following initiatives to combat CSEA online:

Educational resources available in-app
Initiated a model with financial institutes to track identifiers employed by bad followers.
Take strict actions on reports against CSEA online applied by official and unofficial Trusted Flaggers.
Available to assist teenagers and young adults globally.

Instant Actions Taken by Snapchat

As Snapchat receives reports against CSEA imagery, it stands to act against the level of device, content, and account that violates its policies. They file complaints against NCMEC for bad actions, take legal actions, and implement legislative enforcement according to cases.

In-App Warnings

Snapchat also upgraded its system with in-app warnings to notify teens and young people of suspicious friend requests. Snapchat also updates its functions regularly to its Family Center. Additionally, as stated by the Global Head of Platform Safety, Snapchat collaborates with NCMEC to improve the standards of CyberTips, which assist in employing law enforcement globally.

We thank DHS for its ongoing collaboration on this important campaign, and we look forward to continuing to work together – along with others across industry, government, and civil society – to wipe out all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Final Thoughts

In this blog post, I explored how Snapchat emphasizes spreading awareness about Know2Protect to protect teenagers. It spreads awareness to get rid of the threats of sexual harassment. Snapchat collaborates with DHS, NCMEC, and the USA Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to forbid CSEA from being online.

FAQs

It is an awareness campaign launched by DHS to educate children, teens, and young adults, along with policymakers, about CSEA online.

Know2Protect Campaign | One Year of DHS