SYDNEY (AFP) — Tech giant Meta said Thursday it is starting to remove under-16s in Australia from Instagram, Threads and Facebook ahead of the country’s world-first youth social media ban.

Australia is requiring major online platforms, also including TikTok and YouTube, to block underage users by 10 December, when the new law comes into force.

Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.

“While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under the age of 16 by 10 December, compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process,” a Meta spokesperson said.

Younger users can save and download their online histories, the spokesperson for the US company added.

“Before you turn 16, we will notify you that you will soon be allowed to regain access to these platforms, and your content will be restored exactly as you left it.”

Hundreds of thousands of adolescents are expected to be impacted by the ban, with Instagram alone reporting about 350,000 Australian users aged 13 to 15.

Some popular apps and websites such as Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp are exempt, but the list remains under review.

Meta said it was committed to complying with the Australian law, but it called for app stores to be held accountable for checking ages instead.

“The government should require app stores to verify age and obtain parental approval whenever teens under 16 download apps, eliminating the need for teens to verify their age multiple times across different apps,” the spokesperson said.

“Social media platforms could then use this verified age information to ensure teens are in age-appropriate experiences.”

YouTube has also attacked the social media ban.

The video-streaming giant said this week the new law would make young Australians “less safe” because under-16s could still visit the website without an account but would lose YouTube safety filters.

But Australia’s communications minister described its argument as “weird.”