Snapchat’s updated guidelines will restrict publishers from posting inappropriate pictures or fake news on its Discover service.

They will need to ensure that reports and links to external websites are fact-checked and accurate, according to The New York Times (NYT).

This is to “empower our editorial partners to do their part to keep Snapchat an informative, factual and safe environment for everyone,” said spokesperson Rachel Racusen.

App maker Snap also plans to give publishers a tool next month that will allow them to restrict minors from seeing certain content.

It would appear that the firm, which is looking to hold an initial public offering this year, wants to preempt criticism over fake news which have hit rival social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Snapchat introduced Discover in January 2015 to engage users and help publishers reach a younger audience. More than 100 million Snapchat users view content on it each month.

Snapchat has always made publishers agree to fairly strict guidelines, including a ban on images that are “misleading or gimmicky”, as well as asking that all content be appropriate for children as young as 13, the report said.

However, the new rules are trying to clear up any ambiguity and state that publishers should not use overly sexualised or violent images.