Social media giants have succumbed to pressure to appear before an inquiry into online safety before the big guns of subpoenas were needed to force them.

How the companies will ban under-16s from their platforms will be the focus of a grilling from senators on Tuesday.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young previously threatened to force executives from TikTok, Snapchat and Meta - the parent company of Facebook and Instagram - to appear at the inquiry into online safety after they were no-shows at an earlier hearing.

But all three companies agreed to give their views on the social media ban at the hearing without a subpoena.

Children younger than 16 will be banned from social media platforms from December 10, but there will be exceptions for health and education services including WhatsApp

See Full Page