Snapchat began a UK rollout Nov. 6 to turn off friend recommendations by default for users under 18 as accounts receive the change, which the communications regulator says removes one way strangers can find children.
The Office of Communications (Ofcom) said the setting is intended to make it harder for strangers to reach children through recommendations. Ofcom expects the rollout to finish during November and said it would monitor progress.
Snapchat’s UK safety guidance says under-18s will stop seeing friend suggestions and will no longer appear in suggestions shown to other users once the change reaches their accounts. The setting affects recommendations, not every way to find someone: under-18s can still be found through an exact-match search, and users who sync contacts can see people in their address books. Users can also turn Find Friends back on.
The rollout follows commitments Snap made to Ofcom in May after the regulator called on major platforms to strengthen anti-grooming protections. Snap committed to preventing adult strangers from contacting children by default and to stop encouraging children to expand their friend groups to people they do not know. Ofcom’s May research found that 32% of UK children ages eight to 12 used Snapchat, despite its minimum age of 13.
The NSPCC said police data from 44 UK forces showed 7,263 offenses under the category “Sexual Communication with a Child” in 2024-25. Police identified a platform in 2,111 cases; 40% of those took place on Snapchat. The figures do not identify which Snapchat feature was involved.
Ofcom Online Safety Group Director Oliver Griffiths called the change “an important and welcome improvement in child online safety,” citing the app’s wide use among UK children. Ofcom also said Snap had told it highly effective age checks should be in place by the end of 2026, so the safeguards can cover all under-18s in the UK.
