Meta's early start on warning young people they have two weeks until their social media accounts are wiped doesn't mean age restrictions will work, experts say.
Australia's world-leading social media ban kicks in on December 10, with Meta to start notifying teens they will lose access to Instagram, Threads and Facebook.
The tech giant will begin removing access to existing accounts and blocking under 16 users from creating new ones as early as December 4.
YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and live-streaming platform Kick are also included in the ban, while popular gaming platform Roblox remains exempt for now.
It was encouraging Meta was getting on the "front foot" of taking action, Sydney University media and communications lecturer Catherine Page Jeffery said.
"This legislation will obviously drive innovation in the image verification space ... whether or not it's at this point where it is accurate enough to be effective remains to be seen," she said.
"We might see some young people using VPNs, or their parents may help them to get around the verification requirement. We will just still have to watch this space."
Dr Page Jeffery doesn't believe Australia's ban is the right approach for addressing online safety and says the "blunt response" might cut off young people from important connections and support.
"There needs to be greater regulations placed on the platforms to make these online spaces safer for young people, rather than just excluding them altogether," she said.
The platforms have been banned because their "sole or significant purpose is to enable online social interaction between two or more users", eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
Cabinet minister Amanda Rishworth praised Meta for its early action.
"The obligation is not on families, parents, kids. It is on these social media companies, and so certainly this is good news that they're taking this seriously," she told Nine's Today program
Communications Minister Anika Wells said earlier in November the laws were not not a cure to keeping kids safe online, but were a treatment plan that would make a "meaningful difference".
The platforms could face fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to block young users from this date.
Meta said users would receive a two-week notice period through a combination of in-app messages, emails and text messages before they lose access to their accounts.
Platforms must implement age-assurance technology, but eSafety has not outlined a specific type or method, instead warning against what they should not do, including solely relying on users declaring their date of birth.
Meta has confirmed under-16s will be able to archive their existing Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts so they can access them again when they turn 16.
Mia Garlick, Meta's regional policy director, said teen users would receive instructions on how to archive and save content in their accounts.
