Global tech giants including Meta, TikTok and Google have heavily criticized Australian legislation to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms, setting the stage for a policy fight as the government tries to push the bill through parliament this week.

The new law will deliver a message to tech companies to "clean up their act," the country's prime minister has said.

The bill, which cleared the Senate on Thursday, mandates social media companies to strengthen age verification processes to prevent children under 16 from using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram,