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Snapchat starts disabling friend-finder feature for UK children, regulator says
Ofcom says Snapchat has begun turning off its “Find Friends” feature by default for children in Britain, making it harder for strangers to contact them. The regulator calls the change an important step to reduce online grooming risks and says it will monitor the rollout this month.
Snapchat committed to the change in May and has told Ofcom it expects effective age checks for under-18s to be in place by the end of the year. Ofcom said 32 per cent of British children aged 8 to 12 used Snapchat, despite its minimum age of 13; a 2025 analysis found that 40 per cent of identified offences involving sexual communication with a child took place on the platform.
In short
- Snapchat is disabling friend discovery by default for child users in Britain.
- Ofcom says the change could make it harder for strangers to contact children.
- The regulator says 32 per cent of 8 to 12-year-olds used Snapchat.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Turning off friend-finding by default for children can make it harder for strangers to reach them, reducing opportunities for grooming and helping protect users who are below the platform’s stated minimum age. Given the reported share of offences involving sexual communication with a child that took place on Snapchat, supporters can argue that a precautionary change is justified while stronger age checks are introduced.
The case against
A default restriction may make it harder for children to find and connect with people they know, while doing little to address risks that arise through other routes or on other platforms. Critics may also question whether a broad setting change is proportionate and effective, and argue that robust age checks and targeted safeguards should be assessed before restrictions are expanded.