Snapchat boss: No worries about social media ban
Snap Inc’s new local managing director, Ryan Ferguson, isn’t too worried about the looming teen social media ban — he claims the platform has always been proactive in protecting teens.
In his first interview since taking on the job, Ferguson tells Mumbrella that everything is business as usual.
Last November, the federal government passed the Online Safety Act, banning under-16s from most social media platforms. The platforms were given 12 months to get their ducks in order, or face fines of up to $50 million when the Act comes into effect this December.
As Snapchat falls under the blanket ban, Ferguson — who only started in the role in December — says the platform will work closely with the government to ensure it is following the letter of the law. But, between now and December, there are still a “ton of things” that “we just don’t know”, including what the government specifically defines as social media.
“We need to ask ‘what is social media’,” he tells Mumbrella. “At the end of the day, we’re going to work with the government to better understand what they see as social media, and work within that scope.”
