Snapchat Restricts Find Friends for UK Children. Could Ofcom Demand More?

What has Snapchat changed for UK children?

From November 6, 2026, Snapchat began disabling Find Friends suggestions by default for UK child users, making it harder for strangers to discover and contact them through friend recommendations.

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Why is Ofcom pressing Snap to make this change?

Ofcom reported that 32% of British children aged 8–12 use Snapchat despite its minimum age requirement of 13, highlighting the gap between the platform's age restriction and actual usage.

How could the change affect Snap's business?

The immediate impact is a stronger child-safety compliance requirement rather than a disclosed revenue or cost change; effective safeguards could reduce regulatory exposure, while implementation and enforcement failures could create additional compliance costs and financial penalties.

Could Ofcom impose a significant financial penalty on Snap?

Yes, Ofcom has warned that technology companies failing to address online grooming risks can face fines of up to 10% of qualifying global revenue, although it has not announced a fine against Snap over this change.

What happens next for Snapchat?

Ofcom will monitor completion of the Find Friends rollout during November, while Snap has told the regulator that effective age checks for all UK users under 18 should be in place by the end of 2026.