'Albo's screwed us': P-Platers outraged over strict driving changes

PLOT TWIST: Gen Z, you've just been punk'd (you'll need to Google what that means).

My son ran into my room at an ungodly (10pm) hour on Friday night, screaming, "Albo's screwed us over."

This kid knows I'm an Albo super-fan, so for him to claim something like that, I knew he must be very, very... wrong.

And I was right.

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Australian P-plate laws

It began when my 17-year-old, a current L-plater, shoved his phone in my face, demanding I see the clip below. In it, creator @perfnic, claimed that new restrictions on P-platers drivers were being introduced.

(That's the clip I was forced to watch - other creators were reporting on it, too.)

"If you're a P-plater, you need to watch this video, because they're changing the laws," @perfnic begins.

"As of August 2025, the Albanese government is making life harder for all of us P-platers and upcoming P-platers."

Trying not to be alarmist, he then claims he's listing five changes from "least crazy to most crazy."

Essentially, he claimed that P-platers now can't get their full licence until after a period of 18 months, learners' hours have changed from 120 to 150, and drivers under 21 can't drive between 11pm and 5am (with some exceptions).

Next, the creator claimed if you're between 16 and 21, you can only have one passenger, and smart phones cannot be used, even if connected through a hands-free option.

Finally, @perfnic said fines for P-platers will be double what a fully-licensed driver would have to pay, for any infringements.

The saga was like... ahem, watching a car crash. Image: @perfnic/TikTok

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Teens everywhere rushed to social media to express how the restrictions were essentially coc*kblocking their entire lives.

One, for example, ranted: "Our gen is struggling with jobs and housing, we need to get better pay, but how, when the transport system is so broken? 

"I get that they're trying to save lives and stop speeding, but is delaying our independence the way to do it?"

Another enraged teen wrote, "Yeah let’s target the kids who can barely afford to make a living and charge them double the price of a fully licensed driver."

I guess you'd be frustrated too if you thought your life was being f**ked with at that age, instead of noting the intended safety measures.

But the whole story gets much worse...

'Fake News' from an AI-generated story

The worst part is that of course other creators jumped on the trend, also spreading misinformation.

Oh wait. That's not the worst part.

The worst part is that it was all FAKE NEWS. Someone had seen an AI-generated story on the internet and ran with it. 

Many viewers had been gullible - but not for long.

@perfnic

🚨UPDATE🚨 These “new laws” have been proven to be FAKE NEWS 🥳

♬ original sound - PerfNic

'These “new laws” have been proven to be FAKE NEWS'

They either worked it out for themselves, like this kid: "I'm not trusting any of this until an official government website comes out with this info."

Or, noted the very quick updates from the creators, retracting information and reporting the 'car crash' (ahem) drama as "fake news."

@perfnic updated his caption to read: "UPDATE: These “new laws” have been proven to be FAKE NEWS", and made follow-up clips.

Gen Z expressed a collective sigh of relief, and all was right in the world again. Except for with me.

Any other parent bloody sick of the  social media giants not monitoring unverified content? It's like, you do the crime, and WE, as parents, do the time in undoing all the B.S., through conversations and our own research.

But if it's asking too much to fact check posts that are trending, could they at least try to avoid dragging Albo into it, next time?

Kidspot reached out to @perfnic for comment.

Road rules vary between the states in Australia. Check your own state's regulations and laws that are relevant to your driving status.

Originally published as 'Albo's screwed us': P-Platers outraged over strict driving changes