Snapchat would not delete 14-year-old's account because profile listed age as 25

A Tasmanian mother reported her 14-year-old son's Snapchat account as being held by someone under 16. Snap acknowledged the complaint but said it could not verify the user was under 16 because the account's self-declared age was 25 and inferred age signals pointed to an age over 16; the company also noted it does not examine message contents, limiting behavioural signals it can use.

eSafety said it had heard from other parents in similar situations and was engaging with industry, including Snap, about expectations for compliance. Its regulatory guidance says platforms should provide accessible reporting pathways to trigger further age assurance, take a layered or "waterfall" approach across the user journey, and require some form of age verification rather than rely on self-declared age or facial age estimation; it said it is progressing regulatory investigations.

Australia, Tasmania

snapchat, esafety, age verification, self-declared age, inferred age, under 16, parental complaint, platform compliance, waterfall approach, facial estimation