However, while the government moves to crack down on young people using social media, its efforts may not extend to Snapchat because of technical issues.

"They will argue… that they are messaging services and not social media services," Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told 2GB.

"We need to assess that objectively against a transparent set of criteria."

Social media or not, the app has proved dangerous for some.

In 2022, Bathurst teen Matilda Rosewarne took her own life after her schoolmates faked a porn photo of her and shared it on Snapchat.

The same year, 17-year-old Rohan Cosgriff died by suicide after being blackmailed on Snapchat by a sextortion scammer threatening to release intimate pictures of him.

The government also announced it will be legislating a new 'digital duty of care' law, which would make social media giants responsible for implementing measures to keep Aussies, especially kids, safe online.

It follows similar moves from the UK and the European Union to shift the focus from reacting to harm to preventing harm.

So as loopholes and criticism continue to emerge. Will the government's social media crackdown prove effective?