Teenagers Launch Legal Challenge to Australia‘s New Social Media Age Limit
CANBERRA, Australia – Two Australian teenagers have filed a lawsuit challenging a new law that will ban individuals under 16 from accessing social media platforms like tiktok and Instagram, the Digital Freedom Project announced Wednesday. The case, brought before the country’s Supreme Court, marks a last-ditch effort to halt the legislation before it comes into force on December 10th.
The law, passed by Parliament in Canberra roughly a year ago, establishes the highest age limit globally for social media use. Authorities estimate over a million accounts belonging to users under 16 will be deactivated upon implementation.
“Young people like me are the voters of tomorrow,” stated one of the teenage plaintiffs. “We shouldn’t be silenced. It’s like George Orwell’s book ’1984′. That scares me.”
The Digital Freedom Project has sharply criticized the law as “grossly excessive,” arguing it infringes on the rights of young people. Australia’s Communications minister Anika Wells defended the legislation, emphasizing the government’s commitment to prioritizing parental control and child protection over the interests of social media platforms.
The video platform YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is also reportedly considering legal action against the new regulations, according to media reports.
The Australian law is being closely watched internationally as a potential test case,with several other jurisdictions considering similar age restrictions. Supporters of the law cite the need to protect the physical and mental health of minors as justification for the measure. (Reuters)
