Engadget40 minutes agoTech1 min read

Snapchat's Find Friends feature will be off by default for UK users under 18

Ofcom mandates safety improvements for younger users on the platform

Quick Look

Snapchat will disable its 'Find Friends' feature by default for UK users under 18 following pressure from Ofcom.
The regulator also announced that Snap must implement stricter age verification by the end of the year to avoid potential multi-million pound fines.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Ofcom has previously criticized Snapchat for insufficient protections for minors. The UK regulator holds enforcement powers including significant financial penalties for non-compliance.

Font size

Snapchat is starting to roll out a change that will set its "Find Friends" feature to off by default in the UK for users under 18, according to the country's online safety watchdog, Ofcom. The feature, which Snap characterizes as its friend-finding tool, gleans info from users like age, location and existing friends and followers to make adding friends easier. Snap said the Find Friends feature is for "close and trusted real-life connections while prioritizing user safety," but Ofcom has previously accused the platform of not doing enough to protect minors.

"Given how widely Snapchat is used by UK children, this is an important and welcome improvement in child online safety," Oliver Griffiths, director for Ofcom's Online Safety Group, said in a press release. "It is also long overdue and we'll be holding the company to account on completing the rollout of this crucial safety measure this month."

Griffiths also said that Snap will be adding "highly effective age checks" by the end of this year and that tech companies that don't improve their protections for younger users will face enforcement actions. The UK's media regulatory authority has the power to fine non-compliant companies up to 18 million pounds or 10 percent of its qualifying worldwide revenue.