Reddit files legal challenge to Australia’s under-16 social media ban

Popular community-focused forum Reddit has launched a legal challenge against Australia’s social media ban on teenagers under 16, arguing that the newly introduced law is ineffective and goes too far by restricting online political debate.

In its application to the High Court of Australia, the social news and aggregation platform said the law was “invalid on the basis of the implied freedom of political communication” and placed a burden on political communication.

Canberra’s ban came into force on Wednesday and targeted 10 major services, including Alphabet’s YouTube, Meta’s Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat and Elon Musk’s X. All targeted platforms agreed to comply with the policy to varying degrees.

The Australian Prime Minister’s office, the Attorney General’s Office and other social media platforms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Under the law, targeted platforms will be required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage access using age–verification methods such as inference from online activity, face prediction through selfies, uploaded IDs or linked bank details.

Reddit’s application to the courts aims to either invalidate the law or exclude the platform from the provisions of the law.

In a statement to CNBC, Reddit said that while it recognizes the importance of protecting people under 16, the law could deprive young people of “the ability to participate in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions).”

In his application, he also stated that the law “burdens political communication”, adding that “children’s political views influence the electoral preferences of many current voters, including their parents and teachers, as well as others interested in the views of those who will soon reach maturity.”

The platform also argued that it should not be subject to the law, saying it operates as an adult forum that facilitates “information sharing” between users rather than a traditional social network, and that it does not import contact lists or address books.

“Reddit is significantly different from other sites that allow users to ‘friend’ each other, share photos about themselves, or organize events,” the platform said in its app.

Reddit also noted in its court filing that most content on its platform can be accessed without an account, noting that a person under the age of 16 “may be more easily protected from online harm if they have an account, which is exactly what is prohibited.”

“This is because the account may be subject to settings that limit their access to certain types of content that may be harmful to them,” he adds.

Despite its objections, Reddit said the challenge was not an attempt to avoid complying with the law or retain young users for commercial reasons.

“There are more targeted, privacy-preserving measures to protect young people online without resorting to blanket bans,” the platform said.

— CNBC’s Dylan Butts and Stephen Desaulniers contributed to this story.