Reddit Challenges Australia's World-First Social Media Ban for Under-16s in High Court

Reddit has launched a legal challenge against Australia's groundbreaking social media ban for children under 16, filing suit in the High Court just days after the world-first legislation came into effect. The California-based company filed its challenge on Friday, joining the Sydney-based Digital Freedom Project, which filed a similar case last month. Both lawsuits argue that Australia's Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law is unconstitutional because it infringes on the country's implied freedom of political communication. Australia became the first country this week to ban users under 16 from major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, and Reddit. The legislation targets 10 major services and requires platforms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent underage access through age verification systems. Companies that fail to comply with the ban face substantial penalties of up to AUS$49.5 million (US$33 million) if they do not remove Australia-based users younger than 16 from their platforms. In its High Court filing, Reddit argues that the law creates an "illogical patchwork" of banned platforms and questions why it was included alongside other social media sites. The company contends that Reddit should be exempt from the government's list because it is "not an age-restricted" app and functions more as a discussion forum made up of thousands of niche communities. "We believe there are more effective ways for the Australian government to accomplish our shared goal of protecting youth, and the SMMA law carries some serious privacy and political expression issues for everyone on the internet," Reddit said in a statement. The platform expressed particular concern about the verification requirements, stating that while it agrees with protecting people under 16, the law "has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors, isolating teens from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences." Reddit also criticized what it called the government's inconsistent approach to platform selection, arguing that there are "less restrictive alternatives available that could achieve the aim of protecting children and young people from online harms" without such significant negative impacts. The legal challenges come as Australia's landmark legislation faces scrutiny from digital rights advocates and tech companies worldwide. The Australian Human Rights Commission has previously expressed concerns about the ban's broad scope and potential unintended consequences. The High Court cases will test whether Australia's social media age restrictions can withstand constitutional challenges, particularly around freedom of political communication. The outcome could have significant implications for how other countries approach regulating social media access for minors. All major platforms targeted by the ban, including Meta's Instagram and Facebook, Alphabet's YouTube, and ByteDance's TikTok, have agreed to comply with the policy to varying degrees. However, the legal challenges suggest that the implementation and enforcement of the world's first comprehensive social media age ban may face significant hurdles in the courts.