Australia Threatens Up to $34 Million Fines Over Under-16 Compliance for Snap
Australia’s eSafety regulator has flagged Snap for potential breaches of its under-16 social media ban alongside four other platforms, citing gaps in age-assurance processes and reporting features. eSafety warns of civil court enforcement and fines up to US$34 million per breach if legal obligations remain unmet.
1. Investigation and Legal Threat
Australia’s eSafety regulator has opened a formal investigation into Snap and four other platforms for suspected breaches of the under-16 ban, marking the first enforcement stance under the new age-restriction regime.
2. Identified Compliance Gaps
The regulator found that platforms prompted users who declared under 16 to retake age checks, allowed unlimited age-assurance retries until a user passed as over 16, and provided inadequate mechanisms for reporting suspected underage accounts.
3. Enforcement Mechanism and Penalties
Platforms must demonstrate reasonable steps to exclude underage users or face civil court action and fines up to US$34 million per breach under Australian law.
4. Snap’s Response
Snap has affirmed its commitment to comply with the minimum age requirement and is reviewing its age-assurance and reporting systems to address the regulator’s concerns.