Snapchat blocks 415,000 teen accounts in Australia

Snapchat has blocked or disabled about 415,000 accounts in Australia held by users under 16 since the country’s social media age restrictions took effect, while warning that some minors may still be bypassing age verification systems.

The action follows Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age law, which came into force on December 10 and requires platforms including Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to comply face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($34 million).

Australia’s eSafety regulator said last month that technology companies had blocked 4.7 million accounts in total, calling the results “significant outcomes.”

The platform said in a statement, “Two months into the implementation of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, Snapchat remains fully committed to complying with the legislation and supporting its underlying goal of improving online safety for young Australians.”

However, the platform had identified limitations in how the law is currently being enforced. It cited technical challenges with age verification, noting that a 2025 government trial found age estimation tools were accurate only within two to three years on average.

“In practice, this means some young people under 16 may be able to bypass protections, while others over 16 may incorrectly lose access,” the platform said.

The law does not apply consistently across the digital ecosystem, raising concerns that teenagers may move to unregulated messaging services with fewer safety features.

The platform urged Australian authorities to require app stores to verify users’ ages as an additional safeguard. It said app store-level checks could provide more consistent age signals across devices and extend protections beyond apps covered by the law.

Despite its objections, the platform said it would continue working with the Australian government to comply with the law while advocating changes to reduce what it described as unintended consequences.