Boy, 15, clears Snapchat’s visual age check ahead of Australia’s social media ban taking full effect

A Sydney teen has passed Snapchat’s visual age check by using facial age estimation technology before the social media ban comes into force. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

A 15-year-old boy has been able to pass Snapchat’s visual age check, with the platform warning about the difficulty in enforcing Australia’s social media ban for those aged under 16.

Charlie*, a Sydney-based teen, received a notification last week advising him he needed to go through an age check to keep his Snapchat account as a result of the ban, which takes full effect on Wednesday.