Australia will enforce a social media ban for children under 16 despite a court challenge
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian government said young children would be banned from social media next month as planned, despite a rights group challenging the world-first legislation in court on Wednesday.
The Sydney-based Digital Freedom Project said on Wednesday it had filed a constitutional challenge in the High Court against a law due to come into force on December 10 banning Australian children under the age of 16 from having accounts on specific platforms.
Communications Minister Anika Wells addressed the challenge when she later told Parliament that her government remained committed to the ban coming into force on time.
“We will not be intimidated by legal challenges. We will not be intimidated by big tech. On behalf of Australian parents, we stand firm,” Wells told Parliament.
The chairman of the Digital Freedom Project, John Ruddick, is a New South Wales state legislator affiliated with the Minor Libertarian Party.
“Parental monitoring of online activity is the paramount parental responsibility today. We do not want to outsource this responsibility to government and unelected bureaucrats,” Ruddick said in a statement.
“This ban constitutes a direct attack on young people’s right to freedom of political communication,” he added.
The case is being brought by Sydney law firm Pryor, Tzannes and Wallis Solicitors on behalf of two 15-year-old children.
Digital Freedom Project spokesperson Sam Palmer could not say whether an application would be filed for a court injunction to prevent the age restriction from taking effect on Dec. 10 before the case was heard.
Tech giant Meta last week began sending thousands of Australian children believed to be under 16 a warning to delete their digital history and delete their accounts from Facebook, Instagram and Threads before the ban takes effect.
The government said the three Meta platforms, along with Snapchat, TikTok,
Malaysia also announced plans to ban social media accounts for children under 16 from 2026.
Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this week his cabinet approved the move as part of a broader effort to protect young people from online dangers such as cyberbullying, scams and sexual exploitation. He said his government was studying approaches taken by Australia and other countries, as well as the potential use of electronic checks with ID cards or passports to verify users’ ages.
