Children in Australia are able to easily bypass the minimum age limit imposed by social media platforms, a report by the country's online safety regulator showed on Thursday, ahead of a landmark ban by the government on access for those under 16.

More than 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 use social media or messaging services that are only meant to be for over-13s, according to new research. It comes as Australia plans to implement a total social media ban for under-16s that is expected by the end of this year.

Tong promoted a bill that would limit the social media content children can access and restrict the use of algorithms that recommend content.

Learn how Australian children bypass social media age restrictions despite platform policies and age verification tools.

Australia's internet regulator found YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat were the most popular platforms among children.

Proponents say the restrictions are necessary to protect children from the harms of social media, while critics question the legality of the law.

Sky News host James Macpherson says young children accessing social media is a “parenting issue”. The Albanese government's proposed ban on children using social media raised concerns about its effectiveness.