Exclusive Insight: Sydney high schooler Noah Jones discovered the federal government’s upcoming social media ban through, quite fittingly, social media itself.

At just 15, Noah is now taking a stand against this legislation in the High Court.

“It’s difficult for me to grasp why the Australian government is choosing to exclude kids from these platforms while failing to address the real threat posed by predators who cause harm,” he expressed.

Noah, alongside fellow 15-year-old Macy Neyland, is challenging the legality of the social media ban. This new law, set to take effect on December 10, will prohibit children under 16 from accessing sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick.

He mentioned that many of his classmates are already planning to circumvent these age limits by creating fake profiles once the restrictions are enforced.

“The problem is with that, if they’re being secretive about it, they can’t report anyone or say something to parents or police because they weren’t supposed to be on the platform in the first place, so they’re at more risk,” he said.

Macy agreed that the law was “bad safety policy”.

“Bring us into safer spaces, with rules that work – age‑appropriate features, privacy‑first age assurance, and fast takedowns,” she said.

Child protection is paramount to Noah’s mum, and former primary school teacher turned lawyer, Renee Jones, who has raised her three children to be safe in the online world.

But she said the government should work with social media platforms to crack down on predators and unsafe content online, rather than removing children from the digital world they have grown up in.

“His newborn photos were taken on an iPhone, and Noah’s birth was announced on social media. He didn’t live a life of newsprint, and Noah has never had an experience like other generations have had,” she said.

When none of the big tech companies launched a legal challenge, Ruddick took it upon himself to oppose the law.

“The kids will still be accessing social media, so that creates an underground social media. It’s a recipe for disaster,” he said.

The group will argue in court that the government’s ban will rob 2.6 million young people of their constitutionally implied right to freedom of political communication in the years ahead of when they will take to the polls.

“They’re going to be voting in a lot more federal and state elections than a 60-year-old is,” Ruddick said. 

Noah uses social media to engage in politics and is so passionate about the issue that he is writing to school captains across the country to ask them to chat and share their views with their local MP.

“It’ll ban me from information on politics in Australia, and I’m coming up to the years where I’m going to vote, and I won’t know much information,” he said.

“It’s not only about just 15-year-olds. It’s about how we have rights as Australians, and we’ll become invisible with this ban.

“You won’t be able to hear any of our ideas or our banter on things.”

Macy said children should not be silenced and compared the ban to George Orwell’s famed dystopian novel 1984. 

A court date will be set in the next few days ahead of the end-of-year holidays.

The group hopes to win an injunction that would delay the law from coming into effect until the case is heard early next year.

“Social media is getting bigger and bigger every day, and whether we like it or not, it’s a big part of life,” Ruddick said.

They believe the court will rule the law unconstitutional and dismantle the government’s world-leading legislation. 

“Instead of making the social media platforms spend money and resources on avoiding fines, they should be spending money and resources on creating safer places on these platforms and taking action against these predators and inappropriate content,” Noah said.

Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells said she would not be intimidated by the legal challenge.

”Despite the fact that we are receiving threats and legal challenges by people with ulterior motives, the Albanese government remains steadfastly on the side of parents and not of platforms,” she said.