Snapchat switches off Find Friends by default for UK minors

Snapchat is making its friend-finding tool opt-in for British kids. The company is rolling out the change in the UK this month, setting the Find Friends feature to off by default for anyone under 18, according to the country's online safety regulator, Ofcom. The tool pulls in details like age, location and existing friends and followers to suggest new connections.

Snap frames the feature as a way to surface "close and trusted real-life connections while prioritizing user safety." Ofcom hasn't bought that framing wholesale — it has previously accused the platform of falling short on protecting minors, and its announcement lands with an unmistakable nudge.

"Given how widely Snapchat is used by UK children, this is an important and welcome improvement in child online safety," said Oliver Griffiths, director of Ofcom's Online Safety Group, in a press release. "It is also long overdue and we'll be holding the company to account on completing the rollout of this crucial safety measure this month."

That accountability comes with teeth. Ofcom can fine non-compliant companies up to 18 million pounds, or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever bites harder. Griffiths added that Snap will bring in "highly effective age checks" by the end of this year, and that platforms that drag their feet on protections for younger users should expect enforcement.

The pressure isn't coming from one direction. The UK wants to ban social media outright for under-16s, a plan announced by Keir Starmer earlier this year. Across the Channel, the European Union has opened a formal investigation into Snap to determine whether it broke Digital Services Act rules, with a particular focus on how it treats younger users.