X Challenges Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban Over International Law
Original: X Says Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Risks Interfering With Foreign Law
Why This Matters
Australia's underage social media ban is influencing global regulatory trends, and X's legal challenge could set precedents for cross-border platform enforcement.
X submitted to Australian parliament on July 29 that proposed amendments strengthening the country's under-16 social media ban are unnecessary, invasive, and risk violating international legal norms. The platform, owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, argued the data-gathering powers could breach the 'comity of nations.'
X has formally objected to Australia's proposed amendments to strengthen its under-16 social media ban, which took effect in December 2024. In a submission to Australian parliament published Tuesday, X called the proposals unnecessary, unfair, and potentially in violation of international law. The platform specifically criticized 'highly invasive' information-gathering powers, arguing the eSafety commissioner showed 'seemingly no understanding' of how such demands would function for global platforms, and that compelling non-Australians to produce data could disrupt the 'comity of nations.'
X also pushed back against proposed higher penalties targeting individuals, calling them 'entirely unjustified and disproportionate.' In May 2026, Australia fined X $463,000 for failing to adequately respond to a 2022 request regarding child sexual abuse content. Elon Musk has repeatedly criticized Australia's age-restriction policies, calling the original legislation a 'backdoor way to control access to the Internet.'
Legal experts are divided. Internet law professor Julia Hörnle of Queen Mary University of London told WIRED that ordering X to disclose documents related to its Australian business activities is 'perfectly fine.' Researcher Stefania Di Stefano expressed concern not about information-gathering powers, but about blanket bans themselves, calling them 'disproportionate' with respect to children's rights to expression and information access.