Snapchat has blocked more than 415,000 Australian accounts in recent weeks, citing "technical limitations" as it works toward compliance with Australia's new under-16 social media ban. The blocks are the first concrete signal of how platforms are struggling to implement age verification at scale.
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, passed in November, requires Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube to take "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from accessing their services. The law takes effect December 10, 2025, with fines up to A$49.5 million for non-compliance. Parental consent won't override the ban - enforcement targets companies only.
The implementation challenge is substantial. Platforms must verify both age and location to counter VPN circumvention. Snap's mass account blocking suggests the technology isn't there yet. The company hasn't detailed which verification methods failed or what "technical limitations" means in practice, but the number - 415,000 accounts - indicates blunt tools rather than precise age assurance.
Age verification options include document checks, facial recognition, and third-party services like Yoti. Each comes with trade-offs: document verification is slow and raises privacy concerns, facial recognition is expensive and faces accuracy questions for younger users, and third-party APIs add latency and cost. None are foolproof against determined teens with fake IDs or borrowed credentials.
The eSafety Commissioner's office has floated the idea that VPN costs ("in the thousands") will deter circumvention. This is optimistic. Consumer VPN services cost under A$20 monthly. If platforms rely on IP geolocation, enforcement becomes a game of whack-a-mole.
History suggests caution. Similar age restrictions in other jurisdictions have succeeded at blocking casual access but failed to stop motivated users. The UK's age verification law for adult content sites, for example, never launched after implementation proved unworkable.
The one-year transition period gives platforms time to refine their approaches - or lobby for adjustments. What they ship by December will set the template for age verification globally. Right now, Snap's 415,000 blocked accounts suggest we're watching the messy first draft.