The rights of young people are at stake
Banning people under the age of 16 from having social media accounts is disproportionate and unfair. It’s time to push back and defend our rights online.
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We must stop the ban
The government’s decision to ban young Australians from social media effectively denies them the right to free expression and restricts their access to information.
Young people deserve the opportunity to engage confidently, responsibly, and safely in the online world, and it should be parents, not the government, who decide when their child is ready to be online.
While the proposed ban may be well-intentioned, it is disproportionate and ultimately silences young Australians by taking away their ability to have a voice in the digital space.
A Bill that is bound to fail
On December 10, 2025, the social media ban on Australians under the age of 16 will come into effect. We know that prohibition has never worked, and by the Minister’s own admission, kids have “all sorts of ways” to get around online controls.
This rushed Bill is irresponsible and short-sighted. The government is effectively shifting the burden of collecting massive amounts of personal information onto social media companies, without providing clear guidance on how the law should be enforced. There are far better ways to reduce harmful content online than total bans.
We believe the Bill is disproportionate, and that there are smarter, more balanced ways to protect kids online.
Human rights apply online
Not only is the proposed law reckless, but it also threatens the human rights of young Australians, according to the government’s own Human Rights Commission.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has warned that the ban could breach rights protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, among other international agreements.
A system with more holes than swiss cheese
How can social media platforms verify that a user is under the age of 16 without monitoring all Australians’ online activity or collecting identification documents from every social media user?
The answer is —they can’t.
Currently, users of YouTube and TikTok can watch videos without signing in, meaning these companies have no way to verify the age of viewers.
The Bill also fails to account for messaging apps, which have previously been used by people under 16 to harass others.
We need action, but not this
We need to take action to keep young Australians safe from online harassment, but this Bill is disproportionate.
If enforced as the government intends, it would amount to an attack on the human rights of young people and could ultimately result in a less digitally literate Australia in the long run.
How you can support digital freedom
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