From December 10, platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat will be required to remove users under 16 or face substantial fines.
“Starting this week, many users will be asked to verify their age to continue accessing Snapchat,” the company said.
Verification can be completed using an Australian bank account, government-issued ID, or a facial photo analyzed by a third party to estimate the user’s age.
Users under 16 will have their accounts locked starting December 10. Snapchat, like other social media platforms, has advised teen users to download their data promptly, as accessing it may become difficult once the ban takes effect.
While Snapchat disagrees with being included in the government’s ban, the company said it will comply with the law, as it does in all countries where it operates.
A spokesperson warned, “Disconnecting teens from their friends and family doesn’t make them safer — it may push them to less secure, less private messaging apps.”
So far, 10 platforms, including Discord, WhatsApp, Lego Play, and Pinterest, have avoided inclusion in the legislation.
But Australian authorities have reserved the right to update the list of banned platforms as required.
There is keen interest in whether Australia's sweeping restrictions can work as regulators around the globe wrestle with the dangers of social media.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will introduce a similar bill to restrict children's social media use.
And the Dutch government advised parents this year to forbid children under 15 from using social media apps such as TikTok and Snapchat.
On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world.
But some experts are concerned that the law will be merely symbolic because of the difficulty in implementing and policing online age verification.