Is Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban About to Hit a Roadblock?
So right now, Australia’s upcoming social media ban for anyone under 16 is facing a pretty dramatic twist. Two 15-year-olds, Noah Jones and Macy Neyland, have stepped forward to launch a High Court challenge, and their argument is a big one: they say the ban is unconstitutional because it restricts political communication. And with the law scheduled to take effect on December 10, everyone’s watching to see whether this challenge slows things down—or if the ban rolls out as planned.
To understand the situation, it helps to look at what the law actually does. Social media companies already set a minimum age of 13 because of old US regulations, but Australia’s new rule takes it further. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, X, and a handful of others will now be legally required to prevent users under 16 from having an account. It’s the platforms—not teens and not parents—who would be held responsible if a minor slips through. Kids could still browse some content without logging in, but posting, messaging, and interacting would be off-limits.
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The government says the goal is simple: improve the wellbeing and safety of young people. Studies cited in impact reports point to potential links between heavy social media use and negative effects on kids’ cognitive and emotional development. And honestly, it’s not a new idea to restrict young people’s access to certain things. Movie ratings, alcohol laws, even limits on violent video games—Australia already regulates plenty of teen activities, even when they sometimes touch on political or social issues.
But what makes this situation especially tense is the constitutional angle. The teens bringing the case, backed by the Digital Freedom Project, argue that this ban cuts into the implied freedom of political communication. That freedom isn’t a personal right but a limit on how far parliament can go when making laws. To win, they’ll need to prove the ban meaningfully reduces political communication in Australia. And legal experts suggest that might be hard, because only a small number of 13- to 15-year-olds actively create or engage with political content.
At the same time, another major debate is happening around age verification—especially after Snapchat revealed its three methods: bank authentication, a third-party selfie-based age estimator, or uploading government ID. Cybersecurity experts have raised serious concerns about data leaving the country, biometric risks, hacking threats, and the potential for identity theft. Even though privacy safeguards exist, experts warn that breaches don’t usually get discovered until after the damage is done.
So where does all this leave Australia? Right now, the teens are pushing for the High Court to issue an urgent injunction to pause the rollout. But injunctions like that are rare. Unless the Court steps in quickly, platforms will need to enforce the ban starting December 10, even if the law is later struck down.
For families, teachers, and teens, that means preparation is happening in real time—while the whole country waits to see if this legal challenge actually slows Australia’s world-first under-16 social media ban.
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