Representatives from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok were absent from a parliamentary inquiry into the under-16 social media ban, despite them meeting with the government this week.

A Parliamentary committee will look to exercise its powers to force the companies to appear and give evidence, a senator has suggested.

A public hearing was held on Monday as part of a Senate committee's inquiry into the government's upcoming ban on under-16s using social media and the online safety code for search engines.

In attendance were representatives from YouTube, Google and Microsoft.

Committee chair and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told the committee that all major social media companies had been asked to attend.

"I just want to put on the record that we did also request that Meta,

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