The Australian teenager has not yet resigned. A group that defends the rights of Internet users announced on Wednesday, November 26, that it has initiated legal proceedings with the High Court of Australia to prevent the implementation of a ban on several social networks for children under 16, a pioneering action in the world.
Starting December 10, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook will be required to ban all users under the age of 16 from their platforms, under threat of fines. Digital Freedom Project, which presents itself on its website as “a group of Australians are concerned about increasing government intervention in the digital space”, appealed to the High Court.
According to the organization, this law unfairly attacks the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Oceanian country’s Constitution. “This ban is a direct attack on the right of young people to do this freedom of political communication“, The Digital Freedom Project said in a statement. The organization says it has taken the matter to court with two 15-year-olds, and in doing so aims to represent the millions of young Australians targeted by these laws.
Communications Minister Anika Wells vowed to defend the move. “We will not be intimidated by legal channels,” threats and technology companies, he said this Wednesday in Parliament. The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, predicted by November 2024 that social networks would be preferred “social pressure” and formed “A source of anxiety, a conduit for fraudsters and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.
Australia’s new law, which is one of the strictest laws in the world on paper, is being scrutinized by other countries seeking to regulate access to these platforms. But some experts believe that this is only a symbolic measure, due to the difficulty of implementing concrete age verification of Internet users behind every screen.
