Kathmandu. Snapchat said on Monday it has suspended 415,000 accounts in Australia under a law banning users under the age of 16. But the company has warned that some teens may be able to circumvent the age verification system.

The company has asked Australian authorities to force age verification of users through the app, which the company calls “additional security measures”. Platforms such as Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube will have to block the accounts of minors under the new law. The law went into effect on December 10, 2025.

Companies will have to pay about 495 million Australian dollars in fines if they do not comply with the law. Australia’s online security regulator said last month that tech companies had already blocked 470,000 accounts.

By the end of January, Snapchat had removed 415,000 accounts for those under the age of 16. The company said, “We are closing more accounts on a daily basis. But the company said there were “significant loopholes” in the law and that the age estimation system could only give accurate results over a two- to three-year range.

This means that some teens under the age of 16 may circumvent the security system, while some users over the age of 16 may lose access unnecessarily. Snapchat has teamed up with Meta to recommend that age checks be made mandatory in app stores. According to the company, the centralized verification system will further strengthen security.

The company said a total ban was not an appropriate measure and that it was not necessary to put its platform under the scope of the social media ban.

Snapchat said, “Our app is mainly used by young users to connect with close friends and family. Cutting off those relationships will not make them safe, happy, or beneficial. ”