A campaign group on Nov. 26 brought a legal challenge against Canberra’s social media ban for Australians under 16—set to come into effect on Dec. 10—with two 15-year-olds as plaintiffs.
The DFP called the law an “unfair and unreasonable trespass into free speech” that will rob 2.6 million young Australians of their access to the modern, digital town square.
“The basis of the case is [that] this law trespasses on the Constitutional right of freedom of political communication and is therefore unlawful,” the group said.
“Digital Freedom Project asserts that the legislation is grossly excessive, and that the government has not taken any of the multiple other options short of a blanket ban to keep young people safe on social media.”
Jones said in the statement he was “disappointed in a lazy government that blanket bans under-16’s rather than investing in programs to help kids be safe on social media.”
“Driving us to fake profiles and VPNs is a bad safety policy. Bring us into safer spaces, with rules that work: age‑appropriate features, privacy‑first age assurance, and fast takedowns,” Neyland said.
“Parental supervision of online activity is today the paramount parental responsibility. We do not want to outsource that responsibility to government and unelected bureaucrats,” Ruddick stated.
World’s First
In November 2024, Australia became the first country to pass legislation banning social media for users under 16.The commission adds that it does not expect platforms to age-verify every account holder. The Social Media Minimum Age legislation also prohibits platforms from compelling Australians to provide government-issued ID or an accredited digital ID to prove their age, the website said.
‘On the Side of Parents’
Ruddick’s Libertarian Party wrote in a post on X that while the lawmakers understand parents want their children to be safe online, the under-16 ban “isn’t protection,” and that “safety laws become control laws.”“Kids will get around it instantly and parents will think the government has it handled. That false sense of security is dangerous. It also pushes kids onto underground accounts and starts them off breaking the law,” the party stated.
“This is how it always begins … Once the government gets a grip on the internet, they don’t let go. Online safety starts with parents, not politicians.”
“Despite the fact that we are receiving threats and legal challenges from people with ulterior motives, the Albanese government remains steadfastly on the side of parents and not of platforms,” Wells stated.
“We will not be intimidated by threats. We will not be intimidated by legal challenges. We will not be intimidated by big tech.”