Children routinely using social media, Australian regulator says 1 hour ago Graham Fraser Technology Reporter Getty Images 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. The country's internet regulator, eSafety, found YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat were the most popular platforms used by young children. The regulator accused the apps of "a lack of robust interventions" for checking the ages of their users. The companies in question - Discord, Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Reddit, Snap, TikTok and Twitch - did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Users of all of these platforms must be 13 and over to have an account, though there are some exceptions. For example, YouTube has Family Link - when an account is accessible for children under the age of 13 under the supervision of a guardian - and the separate app YouTube Kids, which is specifically made for children. In the report, usage of YouTube Kids was not included for this reason. "The findings of this report will be a helpful input to guide next steps," said eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Australia's robust stance on social media for young people is being keenly watched by the rest of the world - including the UK which has not ruled out copying its ban for young users. '84% use social media' Researchers questioned over 1,500 children across Australia aged between eight and 15 about their usage of social media and messaging platforms. They found 84% of the children aged between eight and 12 who were surveyed had used at least one social media or messaging service since the beginning of last year. Over half of them used it via the account of a parent or carer. A third of the children who had used social media or messaging services had their own account, and 80% of them had help setting up their account/accounts from a parent or carer. The study also found only 13% of children who had an account had them shut down by the social media companies or messaging services for being under the age of 13. 'Inconsistency'