Snap locks 415,000 teen accounts, urges app store age checks

Snap says it has locked or disabled more than 415,000 Snapchat accounts in Australia that it believes belong to users under 16, as the company sets out concerns about the practical limits of Australia's Social Media Minimum Age law and renews calls for app store-level age verification.

The update comes two months after the law took effect. Snap said it continues to lock more accounts each day as it enforces age restrictions.

Compliance measures

Snap said it acted on accounts where users declared an age under 16. It also acted on accounts flagged by its age detection tools.

The company described the work as a continuing operational effort. It also said it sees gaps in the current implementation model.

Snap pointed to the accuracy limits of age estimation technology. It cited an Australian government trial published in 2025. Snap said the trial found available age estimation technology was only accurate to within 2-3 years on average.

Snap said that margin of error creates two risks. It said some users under 16 may still get through. It also said some users over 16 may get blocked incorrectly.

Scope concerns

Snap also raised concerns about the law's coverage across apps and online services. It said protections vary across the market. It said some services sit outside the law's scope or remain unclear.

Snap said users who lose access to regulated services will keep communicating elsewhere. It said messaging accounts for a large share of use in Australia.

"Over 75% of time spent on Snapchat in Australia is messaging with close friends and family."

Snap said young people could move to alternative services that face less oversight. It said those services may be less well-known. It also said they may offer fewer safety protections.

Snap said it does not have data that quantifies any shift in usage. It said policymakers should still consider the risk when they assess outcomes.

App store proposal

Snap said it wants age checks at app stores as an added safeguard. It described this as app store-level age verification.

Snap said this model would provide more consistent age signals at the device level. It said this would reduce the chances of under-16 users accessing in-scope apps. It also said this would reduce the chances of older users being blocked by mistake.

The company also positioned app store-level age verification as a broader measure than app-by-app enforcement. It said it could apply across the digital ecosystem. It said this would reach services beyond those covered by the current law.

Snap said it sees this as a potential standard for other markets. It contrasted this approach with age-based social media bans.

Policy position

Snap also reiterated its disagreement with the policy design. It said it does not view an under-16 ban as the right approach. It also said it does not agree that Snapchat falls within the definition of an age-restricted social media platform.

"We want to be clear: we still don't believe an outright ban for those under 16 is the right approach. We understand the Australian government's objectives and share the goal of protecting young people online. But in the case of Snapchat - which is primarily a messaging app used by young people to stay connected with close friends and family - we do not believe that cutting teens off from these relationships makes them safer, happier, or otherwise better off. We fundamentally disagree that Snapchat is an in-scope age-restricted social media platform."

Snap said it will keep engaging with the Australian government on compliance. It said it also plans to keep arguing for changes in implementation.

Safety tools

Snap pointed to safety features it says already operate on Snapchat. It cited requirements around connections for one-to-one communication. It also cited trust and safety staffing.

It said it maintains 24/7 Trust & Safety teams. It also said it has a full-time team based in Sydney.

Snap also highlighted parental tools within its Family Centre feature set. It said it recently expanded these features. It said parents can now see how much time their teen spends on the platform each day. It also said parents can see how time is split across features.

The company said parents can see more context when teens add new friends. It said this includes whether the teen has mutual friends with a new contact. It also said it includes whether the new contact is in the teen's address book.

Next steps

Snap said it will continue working with the Australian government on the law's requirements while it presses for a shift towards app store-level checks as a centralised mechanism for age assurance.

"Snapchat will continue working with the Australian government to comply with the SMMA."