WA will join NSW and SA in the fight against High Court challenge to Australia’s social media ban

Western Australia will join the fight against a High Court challenge to Australia’s social media ban after NSW and South Australia announced they planned to intervene in the case. WA Attorney-General Tony Buti said the State would follow suit and seek to be heard in the constitutional challenge to the Federal government’s “world-leading” reform. Advocacy group Digital Freedom Project launched the proceedings in November in a bid to overturn the laws, with two 15-year-olds Macy Neyland and Noah Jones listed as the plaintiffs. “We are joining forces with both the NSW and South Australian governments to back the ban and will defend the action in the High Court challenge,” Mr Buti told The West Australian. “The Cook Government strongly supports the new national social media minimum age laws to better protect our young people.” Digital Freedom Project’s president and NSW parliamentarian John Ruddick said the ban “should concern every Australian”. He said the reform was “a direct assault on young people’s right to freedom”. Mr Buti said the WA Government wanted to take part in an “united crusade” to protect teens from online harm. “This is groundbreaking national legislation to help safeguard young Australians from the impact and harm generated by social media,” Mr Buti said. “The eyes of the world are upon us as we embark on this united crusade to curb the insidious influences of social media on those who are most vulnerable.” Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue will lead the Federal Government’s defence, with the Commonwealth taking an early win after the group dropped their bid for an injunction last week. An injunction would have aimed at preventing the ban from taking effect. The court will now hear a special case between the and the Commonwealth in 2026 with a further directions hearing scheduled for February 25. “This is a meaningful step forward and brings us closer to ending the social media ban,” Mr Ruddick said. “Unfortunately, the date means the ban will still come into effect this Wednesday. “We know this is deeply worrying for the many Australians who will be affected by such a disproportionate policy, but we remain firmly in the fight.” Ten platforms will be included in the ban when it takes effect on Wednesday, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Snapchat, Reddit, and Kick. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to comply could be hit with fines of up to $49.5 million.