[1] It has supported the party for over two decades though has disagreed with ACT policy on issues such as alcohol and drug restrictions.

In 2020, a number of Young ACT members resigned over an alleged culture of sexual harassment within the group, and an independent investigation into the claims was launched.

[26] The campaign began in 2006[27] to oppose the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction: Purchase Age) Amendment Bill.

According to a press release from the group, it circulated a banner to campuses around the country that was "signed by hundreds of students and young people who oppose efforts to raise the drinking age.

In the month before the ban came into effect, members sold party pills for $1 each to Auckland University students if they joined the organisation.

[32] ACT Party president Garry Mallet said that it was not the best way to "win the battle for freedom" and that he would talk to the group.

[36] The group faced criticism when it posted a quote that compared compulsory union membership to gang rape.

McCaffrey said there were no plans to delete the post, and ACT member Heather Roy said she would not ask the group to do so.

[37] A few months later, a member of the youth group, Cameron Browne, told the Auckland University Students' Association treasurer to "get raped" in a Facebook conversation.

[38] The Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment bill received royal assent on 30 September 2011 and came into force on 1 January 2012.

[42] In a TV interview, president Rick Giles said electricity would be needed in any coming apocalyptic event and promoted Edison Hour as a celebration of technology.

[43][44] In 2020, Young ACT supported a rent strike, where students were refusing to pay a weekly fee for rooms they were unable to occupy due to COVID-19 restrictions.

[47] In May 2020, the vice president of Young ACT, Ali Gammeter, resigned the position, saying that "for months I have been sexually harassed, slutshamed, and ignored" and that she was "not the only victim of this behaviour in our ranks".

[49] The day after Gammeter's announcement Young ACT published a statement on its Facebook page which said that "prevalent and systematic incidents of harm have occurred within [the] organisation" and that there had been "justified criticism surrounding how our members and those using our platforms interact with each other."

The statement said that the group had "removed a number of the members in question", that it had created an equity committee, and that it would investigate reports of sexism and harassment.