Australia to Enforce Mandatory Age Checks on Snapchat as Under-16 Social Media Ban Nears

Snapchat starts age checks in Australia ahead of a strict Dec 10 ban on under-16s, complying with the law despite warning it may push teens to unsafe apps. ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – As the deadline approaches for one of the world’s most aggressive legislative crackdowns on youth internet usage, Snapchat has officially begun asking teenage users in Australia to verify their ages. The move, confirmed by a company spokesperson on Monday and reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), comes just weeks before the Australian government in Canberra is set to enforce sweeping new laws designed to ban individuals under the age of 16 from accessing major social media platforms. Starting this week, many users across the country will be prompted to undergo a verification process to continue accessing the popular messaging service. This administrative hurdle is a direct precursor to the legislation taking effect on December 10, at which point Australia will mandate that social media giants—specifically including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok alongside Snapchat—remove all users under the age of 16. Platforms that fail to adhere to these strict new standards face the prospect of hefty fines from Australian regulators. According to the details provided in the AFP report, the verification process
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