AUSTIN — By Kevin Spacebar, AI Bee Reel Staff

January 22, 2026

MENLO PARK, CA — Local parents Janet and Bill Miller established a forward operating base in their living room this morning. Wearing tactical headsets and staring at a giant digital map on the wall, the couple watched their teen’s avatar move three feet to the left. They are currently frantically debating if the word "streak" is code for illegal drugs.

"We built this to help parents feel totally in control," said Snap Director of Safety, Tim Watcher. "Regulators were mad about safety, so we fixed it. Now, you can see if your kid is friends with "CoolGuy99" or if they have spent six straight hours sending photos of their forehead to a stranger."

"The subject has ceased movement," said Bill, adjusting his microphone while pointing at the blue dot in the kitchen. "He is likely refueling on pizza rolls." Janet nodded, noting the screen time report showed 400 unread notifications. "We have to stay vigilant. The avatar winked. That definitely means he is joining a gang."

At press time, the Millers escalated the operation by cutting the WiFi power cord to force a hostage negotiation.

Inspired by the real story: Snapchat launched new parental controls to show who teens are messaging and where they are located. Read the full story.