Bad news for Gen Z as Snapchat announced that it has blocked over 400,000 accounts under social media ban for under-16s.
The company said Monday that underage social media users would be able to access their Snapchat, but warned some youngsters may be bypassing age verification technology.
Platforms including Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube must stop underage users from holding accounts under the legislation, which came into effect on December 10.
All the tech gaints including big companies, face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$34 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.
Australia’s eSafety online regulator reported last month that tech giants had already blocked 4.7 million accounts, delivering “significant outcomes”.
As of the end of January, Snapchat said it had blocked or disabled 415,000 Snapchat accounts in Australia belonging to under-16s.
“We continue to lock more accounts daily,” it said in an online statement.
But the law leaves “significant gaps”, Snapchat said, arguing that age estimation technology was only accurate to within two to three years.
“In practice, this means some young people under 16 may be able to bypass protections, potentially leaving them with reduced safeguards, while others over 16 may incorrectly lose access.”
Snapchat joined billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta in calling on Australia to require app stores to check users’ ages before allowing downloads.
“Creating a centralised verification system at the app-store level would allow for more consistent protection and higher barriers to circumventing the law,” Snapchat added.
Snapchat’s Free Storage Cut to 5GB: Here’s How to Keep Your Photos Safe
Snapchat is changing the way users store their photos and videos, announcing that its popular Memories feature will soon come with limits.
The company confirmed that users who have saved more than 5GB of content will need to upgrade to a paid plan to keep their archives intact.
Since launching Memories in 2016, Snapchat has allowed users to save Snaps that would otherwise disappear after 24 hours.
Over the years, this has turned into a massive digital library, with the platform reporting that more than 1 trillion Memories have been saved worldwide.
But now, Snap says the free ride is over. In a statement, the company acknowledged that “it’s never easy to transition from receiving a service for free to paying for it,” but argued the new paid tiers will be “worth the cost” and help improve the feature for the community.
New Snapchat Storage Plans
Under the new system, users will get up to 5GB of free storage. Beyond that, they’ll need to subscribe to one of Snapchat’s storage plans:
- 100GB for $1.99/month
- 250GB for $3.99/month (Snapchat+ subscribers)
- 5TB for $15.99/month (Snapchat Platinum)
Also read: Is Pakistan planning social media ban for under 16?
