Teens challenge Australia’s social media ban in high court
Two teenagers are taking Australia’s landmark social media ban for children to the nation’s High Court, arguing the law is unconstitutional because it infringes on their right to free communication.
From 10 December, social media platforms—including Meta, TikTok, and YouTube—must ensure Australians under 16 cannot hold accounts. The government and campaigners have defended the measure as necessary to protect children from harmful content and algorithms, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
Fifteen-year-olds Noah Jones and Macy Neyland, backed by the rights group Digital Freedom Project (DFP), claim the ban silences children and disregards their rights.
"We shouldn't be silenced. It's like Orwell's book 1984, and that scares me," said Neyland.
Jones added: "We are the true digital natives and we want to remain educated, robust, and savvy in our digital world... They should protect kids with safeguards, not silence."
The DFP highlighted that the ban could disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities, First Nations youth, rural and remote children, and LGBTIQ+ teenagers.
Communications Minister Anika Wells told parliament the government would not be swayed by legal challenges or threats from tech companies:
"We will not be intimidated. On behalf of Australian parents, we will stand firm," she said.
The case, filed on Wednesday, will focus on whether the ban unduly restricts political communication and whether it is proportional to its intended safety aims. The DFP argued that other measures—such as digital literacy programs, age-appropriate platform features, and age verification technologies—could better protect children while preserving their online rights.
Australian media have reported that Google, which owns YouTube, is also considering a constitutional challenge.
While polls show that most Australian adults support the ban, some mental health advocates warn it could cut children off from connection, while others caution it may drive young users to less-regulated corners of the internet.
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