Britain’s data regulator is gathering information on Snapchat to establish whether the U.S. instant messaging app is doing enough to remove underage users from its platform, two people familiar with the matter said.

Reuters reported exclusively in March that Snapchat owner Snap Inc had only removed a few dozen children aged under-13 from its platform in Britain last year, while UK media regulator Ofcom estimates it has thousands of underage users.

Under UK data protection law, social media companies need parental consent before processing data of children under 13. Social media firms generally require users to be 13 or over, but have had mixed success in keeping children off their platforms.

Snapchat declined to give details of any measures it might have taken to reduce the number of underage users.

“We share the goals of the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) to ensure digital platforms are age appropriate and support the duties set out in the Children’s Code,” a Snap spokesperson said.

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Last year, Ofcom found 60% of children aged between eight and 11 had at least one social media account, often created by supplying a false date of birth. It also found Snapchat was the most popular app for underage social media users.

The ICO received a number of complaints from the public concerning Snap’s handling of children’s data after the Reuters report, a source familiar with the matter said.

Some of the complaints related to Snapchat not doing enough to keep young children off its platform, the source said.

The ICO has spoken to users and other regulators to assess whether there has been any breach by Snap, the sources said.

An ICO spokesperson told Reuters it continued to monitor and assess the approaches Snap and other social media platforms were taking to prevent underage children accessing their platforms.

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A decision on whether to launch a formal investigation into Snapchat will be made in the coming months, the sources said.

Platform Pressure

If the ICO found Snap to be in breach of its rules, the firm could face a fine equivalent to up to 4% of its annual global turnover, which according to a Reuters calculation would equate to $184 million based on its most recent financial results.

Snapchat and other social media firms are under pressure globally to better police content on their platforms.

The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Young Children), has said that figures it obtained showed that Snapchat accounted for 43% of cases in which social media was used to distribute indecent images of children.

Richard Collard, associate head of child safety online for the NSPCC, said in response to the Reuters report on Tuesday that the charity was hugely concerned about the use of Snapchat by children under 13.

“Snapchat users as young as 11 and 12 are talking to Childline about how they are sending nude images and communicating with adults on the platform,” he said.

“It is vital we see stronger action to ensure young children are not using the platform and older children are being kept safe from harm.”

Earlier this year, the ICO fined TikTok $16.2 million for misusing children’s data, saying the Snap competitor did not “take sufficient action” to remove them.

A TikTok spokesperson said at the time that it “invested heavily” to keep under-13s off the platform and that its 40,000-strong safety team worked “around the clock” to keep it safe.

Snapchat does block users from signing up with a date of birth that puts them under the age of 13. However, other apps take more proactive measures to prevent underage children accessing their platforms.

For example, if an under-13 year-old has failed to sign up to TikTok using their real date of birth, the app continues blocking them from creating an account.

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During his “My Take,” Tuesday, “Varney & Co.” host Stuart Varney discussed the indictments against Trump by multiple government agencies, arguing the “vicious politics” being used against the former president are not seen as “fair or legitimate” and threaten our constitutional republic.

STUART VARNEY: At an Alabama fundraiser this week Donald Trump said he “needs one more indictment to close out this election.”

It was a joke, but he made a good point. As the indictments spill out, his support has grown. 

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He is crushing his GOP rivals and in that now famous New York Times/Siena Poll, he’s tied with Biden. 43% to 43%.

All of this, just as the indictments hit. 

I think there is a strong belief that Trump is not being treated fairly and has not been treated fairly in the past. 

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Russia, Russia, Russia. Impeachment over a phone call. 

Those are examples of viscous politics, based on pure Trump hatred, and it continues.

New York’s radical D.A. Alvin Bragg indicted him on the flimsiest of grounds. 

He bent the law every which way to bring charges. Only the Trump haters thought that was fair.

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On the day after President Biden was caught in a lie about Hunter’s business dealings, prosecutor Jack Smith laid criminal charges on him about the 2020 election. 

The timing is suspect. As Trump’s lawyer said, this “reeks of election interference.”

There is the silencing of IRS agents pursuing Biden’s corrupt family financing. How convenient.

The Department of Justice roadblocks investigations that get close to Biden.

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There’s a pattern here. Use the machinery of government, use the courts, use anything you’ve got to beat the Trump challenge.

It only works if it’s seen to be fair and legitimate. 

It‘s not seen as fair and legitimate by a growing number of people and that is a real threat to our constitutional republic.

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Drugmaker Eli Lilly raised its full year forecast after demand surged for its popular diabetes medicine.

The Indianapolis-based company reported Tuesday that its revenue rose 28% during the second quarter “as a result of volume-driven growth” from Mounjaro and other drugs, and the $579 million from the sale of rights for Baqsimi. 

As a result, the company raised its full year revenue guidance to the range of $33.4 billion to $33.9 billion. That’s up from its prior guidance range of $31.2 billion to $31.7 billion. 

Mounjaro – the brand name for trizepatide – alone drove $980 million in sales during the three-month period ending in August. That’s more than $200 million above what Wall Street expected.

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Almost all of that came from the U.S. too. However, the company warned that the significant demand was leading to delays in filling orders for some doses.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug last year to improve blood sugar control, in addition to diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes.

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However, the drug could also be a game changer in treating obesity, which affects over 40% of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

During a drug trial, the injectable treatment helped people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or obese to lose up to 16% of their body weight, or more than 34 pounds, over nearly 17 months, Lilly said in April. 

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If approved by regulators, tirzepatide could become the most effective drug to date in an arsenal of medications like Wegovy, which is transforming the treatment of obesity. 

Regulators are still deciding whether to make weight loss an approved use. However, doctors have already been prescribing it off-label for that.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Moody's Investors Service lowered the ratings for 10 banks, including US Bancorp, Bank of New York Mellon, State Street, and Truist Financial. Read More