Reddit files High Court bid to overturn Australia social media ban
US-based platform Reddit appealed to the High Court of Australia to lift the country’s world-first social media ban for under-16s, arguing that the law violates freedom of political expression and poses serious privacy risks.
The company, which has complied with the legislation in appealing, argues that the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 unconstitutionally restricts political communication by preventing young Australians from engaging in political discourse online.
Reddit has filed an appeal in the High Court of Australia seeking to overturn the country’s social media ban on under-16s.Credit: Bloomberg
“This law misses the mark,” Reddit said in materials made public Friday, arguing that there are “more effective ways” to protect youth than what it called an intrusive blanket ban that burdens everyone with their right to privacy and free expression.
The law, which came into force on Wednesday, requires platforms to prevent Australians under 16 from having accounts. Violations carry penalties of up to $49.5 million. Reddit’s three-pronged legal attack challenges both the validity of the law and whether Reddit itself qualifies as an “age-restricted social media platform.”
In its dossier, seen in this byline, Reddit argues that “children’s political views influence the electoral choices of many current voters, including their parents and teachers” and that preventing children from communicating their views “directly burdens political communication in Australia.”
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The company also calls the law ineffective, noting that security settings can be applied to accounts because “a person under the age of 16 can be more easily protected from online harm if they have an account, which is the very thing that is prohibited.”
Reddit said it was acting on behalf of its Australian users who raised concerns about being forced to provide government IDs or facial scans to access a pseudonymous platform. The company said it had never collected age information before and had to create entirely new verification systems to comply.
The company also argues that it should not be brought under the law at all, given that it operates as a public forum rather than a traditional social media network and that the law is arbitrarily applied. Discord, home to millions of Australian users, in most cases under the age of 16, has evaded the legislation. Gaming platforms with built-in chat, such as Roblox, have done the same. Reddit argues that it was unfairly singled out because it is a “primarily adult forum” that lacks the algorithmic feeds and friend networks the government wants to target.
