November 7, 2026
The “Snapchat” platform has begun automatically disabling friend suggestions for users under the age of eighteen in Britain, as part of the “Find Friends” feature, in a step announced by the British communications regulatory authority “Ofcom” with the aim of enhancing children’s protection and reducing the risks of online grooming.
According to Reuters, this feature allows users to find and add new friends, and it is expected that disabling automatic suggestions will reduce the opportunities for strangers to communicate with minors through the platform, which is one of the most popular applications among children in Britain. Ofcom revealed last May that 32% of British children between the ages of 8 and 12 use Snapchat, even though the minimum age allowed to use the application is 13 years.
In this context, Oliver Griffiths, Director of the Internet Safety Group at the Authority, considered that this step “should have been taken a long time ago,” stressing that the Authority will monitor the extent of Snapchat’s commitment to implementing the new protection measures during this November. The platform pledged to make this amendment last May, and the authority recently informed that effective procedures to verify the ages of users under 18 years old will come into effect by the end of the year.
For his part, a spokesman for the “Snap” company confirmed that the platform will continue to develop protection measures in conjunction with the development of risks, indicating continued cooperation with the Authority, safety experts, families, and youth to ensure that the application remains a safe environment for communication and self-expression. These developments come at a time when an American court opened the door to suing the companies “Meta”, “Google”, “Tik Tok” and “Snapchat”, against the backdrop of accusations of designing products that encourage addiction among young users.
Concerns are rising in Britain about the exploitation of social media platforms to lure children, especially in light of data revealing the extent of crimes related to electronic communication with minors. An analysis conducted by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, based on British police data for the year 2025, showed that 40% of recorded crimes that involved sexual contact with children, and for which the platform used could be identified, occurred via “Snapchat.”
In light of these data, Ofcom has intensified its pressure on major technology companies to take more stringent measures to confront electronic grooming, warning that these crimes may leave devastating and long-term effects on the lives of children. The authority also renewed its warning to companies that fail to address these risks, stressing that they may face financial fines of up to 10% of their global revenues that qualify for the fine, as part of tightening control over children’s safety through digital platforms.
