Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Faces Joint High Court Challenge

What changed

Australia’s High Court will hear two constitutional challenges to the country’s under-16 social-media ban over two days, with the Digital Freedom Project’s case and Reddit’s separate challenge being heard jointly. The ban began on 10 December 2025 and covers Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, X, Kick, Threads and Twitch.

Why it matters

This is now a test of whether Australia can make platforms police the age of their users at national scale without crossing constitutional lines. The government says the policy protects children from harmful content; challengers argue it restricts free communication, privacy and political rights.

The stakes are substantial for the companies involved. Covered platforms must take “reasonable steps” to keep under-16s out and could face fines of up to A$99m for serious or repeated breaches. Yet no company has been fined so far, while the eSafety Commissioner has opened investigations into Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

The ban’s early operation also exposes its awkward middle ground. Meta said it closed about half a million accounts, but some children reportedly bypassed age checks involving credit-card details, photo IDs or selfies. WhatsApp, Roblox, Discord, YouTube Kids and Google Classroom remain outside the policy, creating a patchwork rather than a single online boundary.

Two teenagers who helped launch the case, Noah Jones and Macy Neyland, have withdrawn as plaintiffs. Jones is still expected at Tuesday’s hearing. The court’s ruling, and whether it changes the ban, remain unknown.