SYDNEY, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Snap said on Monday

it will offer Australians the chance to verify their age with

software owned by the country's banks as the internet platform

complies with a teenage social media ban which takes effect next

month.

Australia approved last year a world-first social media ban

for children aged under 16, in one of the toughest regulations

targeting Big Tech.

U.S.-based Snap, operator of the Snapchat service, said it

will start reaching out this week to users, giving them the

option to prove they are 16 or above by downloading the

application ConnectID which links to their bank accounts.

Snap said it would also give Australian users the chance to

confirm their age using software owned by

Singapore-headquartered age-assurance provider k-ID that

estimates a person's age based on a selfie or by uploading

government-issued identification.

But the bank account option, which Reuters previously

reported was being tested, represents the first involvement of a

person's financial footprint in the rollout of the landmark

social media ban. Snapchat claims about 440,000 Australian users

aged 13-15, making it the most affected platform by the

restriction.

In a post on its website, Snap said the Australian

government had dismissed its claim to be a messaging platform,

rather than social media, but "while we strongly disagree with

this assessment, we will comply as we do with all local laws in

countries in which we operate".

ConnectID, which is owned and used by most major Australian

banks, said it would send the tech platform a "yes/no" signal

about whether the person was over 16 based on their account

details, without making them upload sensitive information.

"The goal here is to protect young people online without

creating new privacy risks," said ConnectID managing director

Andrew Black in a statement.

Social media platforms had argued against the Australian

ban, which threatens them with a fine of up to A$49.5 million

($31.95 million) for noncompliance, but as the December 10

deadline approaches most have said they will comply.

Last week, Meta, owner of Instagram, Facebook and

Threads, which are covered by the ban, said it will start

deactivating underage accounts before the deadline.

($1 = 1.5494 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)