A Snapchat spokesperson mentioned the corporate had raised “severe considerations” in regards to the regulation and that “many unanswered questions” remained about how it might work.
However the firm mentioned it might have interaction carefully with the federal government to develop an strategy balancing “privateness, security and practicality”.
“As all the time, Snap will adjust to any relevant legal guidelines and laws in Australia,” it mentioned.
UNICEF Australia coverage chief Katie Maskiell mentioned younger folks must be protected on-line but additionally must be included within the digital world.
“This ban dangers pushing youngsters into more and more covert and unregulated on-line areas in addition to stopping them from accessing facets of the web world important to their wellbeing,” she mentioned.
Leo Puglisi, a 17-year-old on-line journalist based mostly in Melbourne, was vital of the laws.
He based streaming channel 6 Information, which gives hourly information bulletins on nationwide and worldwide points, in 2019 on the age of 11.
“We have been constructed up by having 13 to 15-year-olds see 6 Information on-line after which be part of the staff,” Puglisi mentioned in an announcement.
“Now we have mentioned that this ban severely dangers proscribing creativity from our younger folks, it doesn’t matter what ardour or future profession they wish to discover,” he added.
“6 Information will not be going away.”
GLOBAL ATTENTION
One of many largest points might be privateness – what age-verification data is used, how it’s collected and by whom.
Social media corporations stay adamant that age verification needs to be the job of app shops, however the authorities believes tech platforms needs to be accountable.
Exemptions will probably be granted to some corporations, akin to WhatsApp and YouTube, which youngsters may have to make use of for recreation, college work or different causes.
The laws might be carefully monitored by different nations, with many weighing whether or not to implement comparable bans.
Lawmakers from Spain to Florida have proposed social media bans for younger teenagers, though not one of the measures have been applied but.
China has restricted entry for minors since 2021, with under-14s not allowed to spend greater than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, the Chinese language model of TikTok.
On-line gaming time for youngsters can be restricted in China.