Shares in Snap (SNAP) rose modestly early Monday after the maker of the popular photo and video messaging app, Snapchat, over the weekend announced plans to enforce Australia’s ban on use of the platform by teenagers under the age of 16.
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According to Snap, starting from December 10, users under the age limit will have their accounts locked and deactivated three years later. The social media company is also offering users the option to verify their age through their Australian bank account, government-issued ID cards such as passports and driver’s licenses, or facial age estimation.
Snap Addresses Privacy Concerns
The bank verification will rely on ConnectID, a digital identity verification system owned by Australia’s major banks and payment services providers. On the other hand, ID verification and facial age estimation will use k-ID, an age assurance software owned by a Singapore-based company.
Addressing privacy concerns, Snap assured it will have no access to users’ data but will simply get a yes/no confirmation from the software operator about whether a user meets the age threshold.
The company’s action follows that of Meta Platforms (META), which last week noted that it had started to notify users between the ages of 13 and 15 in the country of plans to deactivate their accounts starting from December 4.
Australia Bans Social Media Use by Children
The moves come as Australia’s internet safety watchdog continues to clamp down on social media use among children to protect them from online harm. Last week, the regulator extended the age-restriction requirement to Amazon’s (AMZN) Twitch, a platform for live-streaming.
In addition to Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, the eSafety Commissioner had previously extended the requirements to Alphabet’s (GOOGL) YouTube, Reddit (RDDT), X, and TikTok. However, it exempted Pinterest (PINS) from the rule, noting that although the platform “enables some online social interaction,” the app “is more commonly used by individuals collating images for inspiration and idea curation.”
Snap Disagrees with Inclusion in Safety Rules
Announcing its enforcement plan, Snap reiterated its disagreement with the regulator’s extension of the country’s social media minimum age legislation to its platform. The California-based firm emphasized that “Snapchat is and has always been a visual messaging app.”
Furthermore, Snap argued that while it will comply with the directive, “disconnecting teens… may push them to less safe, less private messaging apps.”
The move from Australia comes as online safety watchdogs around the world, including in the EU, UK, and Denmark, are cracking down on social media use by children.
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