GBAF Logo
Global Banking & Finance Awards® 2026 Nominations open, free to enter Nominate now →
Snapchat starts disabling friend-finder feature for UK children, regulator says - Finance news and analysis from Global Banking & Finance Review
Finance

Snapchat starts disabling friend-finder feature for UK children, regulator says

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on November 6, 2026

2 min read

· Last updated: November 6, 2026

Add as preferred source on Google

Snapchat Disables Friend-Finder Feature for UK Children Amid Ofcom Regulation

Snapchat's Response to UK Online Safety Regulation

Ofcom's Announcement and Rationale

LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - British media regulator Ofcom said on Friday that Snapchat had begun disabling its "Find Friends" feature by default for child users in Britain, in what it called an important step to reduce the risk of online grooming.

The friend-discovery feature helps users find and add new contacts.

Ofcom said the change would make it harder for strangers to contact children on the image-sharing social media platform, one it considers among the largest and most popular online services used by children in Britain.

Snapchat Usage Among Children

The regulator said in May that Snapchat was used by 32% of children aged 8 to 12 in Britain, despite the platform's minimum age restriction of 13.

Regulatory Oversight and Industry Response

Ofcom's Monitoring and Expectations

Oliver Griffiths, director of Ofcom's Online Safety Group, said the change was "long overdue" and the regulator would monitor Snapchat's rollout of the new protection this month.

Snapchat had committed to make such a change in May, and told the regulator more recently that effective age checks for under 18s should be in place by the end of the year.

The platform did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Broader Concerns Over Online Grooming

There have long been concerns about online grooming on social media.

Statistics on Grooming Offences Involving Snapchat

A 2025 analysis of British police data by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children showed that 40% of recorded offences involving sexual communication with a child where the platform was identified took place on Snapchat.

Ofcom's Warnings to Tech Companies

Ofcom has pressed major tech firms to introduce stronger anti-grooming measures. It has said that online grooming can have "devastating, lifelong consequences" for children.

The regulator also re-issued a warning to other tech companies failing to tackle grooming risks, saying they risked fines of up to 10% of their qualifying global revenue.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Key Takeaways

  • Snapchat has turned off its “Find Friends” feature by default for under‑18 users in the UK to limit exposure to unknown contacts, per Ofcom’s announcement Nov 6, 2026 (ofcom.org.uk).
  • Under the UK Online Safety Act, Snapchat committed to deploying “highly effective” age‑assurance measures by year‑end to ensure under‑18s are protected (ofcom.org.uk).
  • Concerns are grounded in data: grooming offences have surged in the UK, with 40–48% of known Snapchat‑related cases involving sexual communication with a child (nspcc.org.uk).

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Snapchat disable the 'Find Friends' feature for UK children?
Snapchat disabled the feature by default for UK children to reduce the risk of online grooming, following pressure from the regulator Ofcom.
What percentage of children in Britain use Snapchat?
According to Ofcom, 32% of children aged 8 to 12 in Britain use Snapchat, despite its minimum age restriction of 13.
What risks does Ofcom associate with the 'Find Friends' feature?
Ofcom considers the feature a potential risk for online grooming as it can make it easier for strangers to contact children.
What consequences do tech companies face for not addressing online grooming?
Tech companies risk fines of up to 10% of their qualifying global revenue if they fail to tackle grooming risks.
What further actions has Snapchat committed to regarding child safety in the UK?
Snapchat has committed to implementing effective age checks for under 18s by the end of the year.

Tags

Related Articles

More from Finance

Explore more articles in the Finance category