PM signs up to Snapchat

Malcolm Turnbull has a snappy new tool in his social media arsenal.

But he may have risked any connection with younger voters via Snapchat by making fun of his youngest minister in his first snap.

The prime minister tweeted he'd signed up to the messaging app at the behest of 26-year-old Wyatt Roy, the Assistant Minister for Innovation and youngest member of parliament.

The pair kicked things off at a pub in Mr Roy's seat of Longman in Queensland on Friday with Mr Roy introducing the prime minister.

"Friday night at the pub, the most exciting time to launch your Snapchat," Mr Roy said.

Mr Turnbull then quipped: "And they didn't even ask for your ID".

Mr Roy replied with a weak: "Mate, innovative."

The prime minister joins a fledgling band of politicians snapping away to connect with younger voters throughout the election campaign.

The popular app lets users send pictures and videos that self-destruct after they've been seen, and also allows users to broadcast "stories" - a collection of photo and video snippets that last for 24 hours - to their followers.

Parliamentary Snapchat veterans include Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, a prolific user who snaps emoji-decorated selfies and videos daily from the campaign trail, and Labor MPs Sam Dastyari and Ed Husic, who likes to deploy the "puppy dog" face-recognition filter in his stories.

Overseas users include UK Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn and US White House contenders Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders who used the app's special geo-filters to marshal votes.

Social media has become a central tool for both major parties this Australian election with campaign ads launched on Facebook and Twitter pages, and the prime minister choosing to hold the third leaders' debate this week online for the first time.