Australia steps up platform scrutiny after mass Snapchat removals
The ban on under-16s in Australia has led to mass Snapchat account removals, while platforms caution that current age-assurance tools remain unreliable and open to circumvention.
Snapchat has blocked more than 415,000 Australian accounts after the national ban on under-16s began, marking a rapid escalation in the country’s effort to restrict children’s access to major platforms.
The company relied on a mix of self-reported ages and age-detection technologies to identify users who appeared to be under 16.
The platform warned that age verification still faces serious shortcomings, leaving room for teenagers to bypass safeguards rather than supporting reliable compliance.
Facial estimation tools remain accurate only within a narrow range, meaning some young people may slip through while older users risk losing access. Snapchat also noted the likelihood that teenagers will shift towards less regulated messaging apps.
The eSafety commissioner has focused regulatory pressure on the 10 largest platforms, although all services with Australian users are expected to assess whether they fall under the new requirements.
Officials have acknowledged that the technology needs improvement and that reliability issues, such as the absence of a liveness check, contributed to false results.
More than 4.7 million accounts have been deactivated across the major platforms since the ban began, although the figure includes inactive and duplicate accounts.
Authorities in Australia expect further enforcement, with notices set to be issued to companies that fail to meet the new standards.
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