Snapchat Struggles to Enforce Under-16 Social Media Ban in Australia
Over 400,000 Australian Snapchat users under the age of 16 had their accounts locked or disabled by the end of January as part of the country's social media ban for minors. However, the platform has acknowledged significant gaps in its implementation and warned that some young people may be able to bypass protections.
As part of Australia's law requiring platforms to ban users aged under 16, Snapchat had initially blocked over 415,000 accounts deemed under 16 based on user declarations or age detection technology. The company announced daily account locks but conceded that technical limitations pose a significant challenge.
The effectiveness of the ban has come into question as some teenagers were able to bypass facial age estimation technology used by Snapchat and other platforms. This means that young users may be left without adequate safeguards, while others over 16 may incorrectly lose access to their accounts.
Furthermore, alternative messaging apps are being increasingly used by Australian teenagers, highlighting a risk that policymakers must consider when evaluating the law's success. According to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the regulatory focus will remain on the initial 10 platforms, but smaller companies with fewer users will also be scrutinized.
Snapchat has called for app store-level age verification and acknowledged the need for improvement in its age assurance technology, which was criticized for its accuracy within just a few years of an individual's actual age. The company faces scrutiny from regulators over its implementation, particularly regarding the absence of a "liveness test" to verify facial age estimation results.
With 4.7 million accounts deactivated since the ban came into effect across all 10 platforms, eSafety Commissioner Grant has vowed to send notices to companies on their compliance with the law. However, she declined to provide a breakdown of account deactivations by platform, citing focus on key high-risk areas where most young people spend their time online.
Despite efforts to enforce the ban, concerns remain about its effectiveness in protecting minors from exploitation and cyberbullying on social media platforms.
Over 400,000 Australian Snapchat users under the age of 16 had their accounts locked or disabled by the end of January as part of the country's social media ban for minors. However, the platform has acknowledged significant gaps in its implementation and warned that some young people may be able to bypass protections.
As part of Australia's law requiring platforms to ban users aged under 16, Snapchat had initially blocked over 415,000 accounts deemed under 16 based on user declarations or age detection technology. The company announced daily account locks but conceded that technical limitations pose a significant challenge.
The effectiveness of the ban has come into question as some teenagers were able to bypass facial age estimation technology used by Snapchat and other platforms. This means that young users may be left without adequate safeguards, while others over 16 may incorrectly lose access to their accounts.
Furthermore, alternative messaging apps are being increasingly used by Australian teenagers, highlighting a risk that policymakers must consider when evaluating the law's success. According to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the regulatory focus will remain on the initial 10 platforms, but smaller companies with fewer users will also be scrutinized.
Snapchat has called for app store-level age verification and acknowledged the need for improvement in its age assurance technology, which was criticized for its accuracy within just a few years of an individual's actual age. The company faces scrutiny from regulators over its implementation, particularly regarding the absence of a "liveness test" to verify facial age estimation results.
With 4.7 million accounts deactivated since the ban came into effect across all 10 platforms, eSafety Commissioner Grant has vowed to send notices to companies on their compliance with the law. However, she declined to provide a breakdown of account deactivations by platform, citing focus on key high-risk areas where most young people spend their time online.
Despite efforts to enforce the ban, concerns remain about its effectiveness in protecting minors from exploitation and cyberbullying on social media platforms.