The Federal Government will ban younger children from joining social media due to concerns for their mental health, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.

While the exact age cut-off is undecided, Mr Albanese said the government would legislate the ban before the end of the year

“This is a scourge,” he said on Tuesday.

“We know that there are mental health consequences for what young people have had to deal with — the bullying that can occur online, the access to material which causes social harm — and parents are wanting a response.”