Snapchat has blocked 415,000 accounts under Australia's social media ban for under-16s, the company said Monday, but warned some youngsters may be bypassing age verification technology.
The platform urged the Australian authorities to oblige app stores to check users' ages as an "additional safeguard" for the world-first crackdown.
Platforms including Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube must stop underage users from holding accounts under the legislation, which came into effect on December 10.
Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$34 million) if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to comply.
Read moreWhy is Australia banning children under 16 from social media – and can they enforce it?
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."
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Snapchat joined billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's Meta in calling on Australia to require app stores to check users' ages before allowing downloads.
"Creating a centralized verification system at the app-store level would allow for more consistent protection and higher barriers to circumventing the law," Snapchat said.
The platform said it did not believe an outright ban was the right approach.
Read moreDays before Australia's social media ban, teens race to find loopholes
Snapchat said it understood Australia's objectives and wanted to protect people online, but did not agree its platform should be covered by the social media ban.
"In the case of Snapchat – which is primarily a messaging app used by young people to stay connected with close friends and family – we do not believe that cutting teens off from these relationships makes them safer, happier, or otherwise better off," it said.
Australia's world-first ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures, with Britain and France being the latest to signal such plans.
France's National Assembly on January 26 approved legislation to ban children under 15 from social media amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks. The bill still needs to pass through the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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