Snapchat adds minimum age requirements in Australia

Snapchat added Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) requirements of the Online Safety Act 2021 for users in Australia. In order to comply with the SMMA, where “users under 16 years of age must not hold accounts on certain services”, the platform will verify the country of residence and age of the user based on information collected. This would include date of birth, IP address, behavioural information about interaction with Snapchat, information about content created, interactions with My AI (Snapchat’s chatbot), metadata, and information about friends on the platform. Snapchat further requires users to undertake age verification measures using a third-party provider called k-ID. Snapchat will only receive a “yes/no” result on whether the user is above 16, based on which access will be granted. For users below 16, the account will be locked and Snapchat will not receive any personal information provided during the k-ID verification process. 

The Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law came into effect on December 10, 2025, in Australia and has garnered criticism from teenagers, activists, and politicians. Reddit has also filed a lawsuit against the Australian government to oppose these requirements.