Teenagers are defying their antivaccination parents and speaking out against “illegitimate sources” of information that say vaccines are harmful for children.

Ethan Lindenberger, 18, was among the first young people to testify in front of the US Senate Health Committee’s ‘Vaccines Save Lives’ hearing on Tuesday, which comes amid measles outbreaks in at least four of the country’s states.

Ethan’s mother is an antivaccination campaigner and he had received no childhood immunisations until he initiated his own vaccination last year.  

“My mother is an anti-vax advocate who believes vaccines cause autism, brain damage and do not benefit the health and safety of society — despite the fact such opinions have been debunked numerous times by the scientific community,” he told the committee.