Snapchat has begun disabling its “Find Friends” feature by default for child users in Britain, Ofcom said, calling the move an important step to reduce online grooming risks. The company committed to the change in May and told Ofcom it expects effective age checks for users under 18 by year-end.
Ofcom said Snapchat had begun disabling its “Find Friends” feature by default for child users in Britain. The feature helps users find and add new contacts, and Ofcom said the change would make it harder for strangers to contact children.
Snapchat committed to the change in May and told Ofcom that effective age checks for under-18s should be in place by the end of the year. Ofcom said Snapchat was used by 32% of British children aged 8 to 12, despite the platform’s minimum age restriction of 13. A 2025 analysis of British police data by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children found that 40% of recorded offences involving sexual communication with a child, where the platform was identified, took place on Snapchat.
Ofcom’s Online Safety Group director Oliver Griffiths called the change “long overdue” and said the regulator would monitor the rollout this month. Ofcom warned other technology companies that failure to tackle grooming risks could lead to fines of up to 10% of qualifying global revenue.
