Three teens who allegedly stole high-end cars in Australia last week have been charged with the crimes you’d expect anyone to face for stealing property, according to a new report from the Sydney Morning Herald. But two of the teens are also being charged under a new law that criminalizes posting about your crimes on sites like X, TikTok, and YouTube—known as so-called “post and boast” laws, which are punishing social media activity as a way to deter future crimes.
The three teenagers, aged 15, 17, and 18, allegedly stole three luxury cars in the town of Doral, just outside Sydney last week according to a press release from the New South Wales Police. The 15-year-old and the 18-year-old posted to social media about the crimes, though it’s unclear what sites they were using.
The state of New South Wales, which includes the city of Sydney, passed a law last month that adds two extra years in jail for anyone convicted of a motor vehicle offense who proceeded to “advertise their involvement in the criminal behavior” on social media.
Lawmakers in Australia argued that people who post photos and videos of their crimes on social media were retraumatizing victims, which warrants a stronger punishment.
“This behavior is unacceptable and has to stop. People have a right to sleep safe in their beds in the sanctity of their home and should not have to face being retraumatized, ridiculed and shamed with images of the crime being made into a warped kind of ‘entertainment’,” NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said in a press release when the law was passed in March.
These kinds of laws aren’t just catching on in Australia. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a law that added harsher penalties for anyone who organizes retail theft through social media. It’s now a second-degree felony to commit retail theft with five or more people using social media “to solicit others to participate in the theft.”
The minors in Australia who allegedly stole the cars are scheduled to face children’s court this week, while the 18-year-old will appear in regular court on Wednesday.
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