Reddit Launches Legal Action Against Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban

Just days after Australia launched its landmark social media ban for under-16s, online forum giant Reddit has issued a legal challenge against both the Australian government and Communications Minister Anika Wells.

Reddit is a well-known forum, mainly used via its app, that has around 117 million active users every day with Australia being one of its largest audience bases.

The platform groups topics of interest by categories, or “subs” as they’re known in the Reddit community, comprising an array of topics.

In a widely publicised court application, the social media platform argues the government’s minimum age ban is invalid, and that secondly, the minister be prohibited from specifying Reddit as an age-restricted social media platform and that Reddit’s ban be lifted.

Reddit is also requesting legal costs.

The social media giant argues the act is invalid as it infringes upon the implied freedom of political communication, a principle derived from Australian case law not statute.

John Ruddick, New South Wales Libertarian MP and head of the Digital Freedom Project, welcomed news of the fight.

“The case is nearly identical to that of the Digital Freedom Project’s and we expect these two cases will be heard together,” he said on X.

“The more legal firepower the better.”

The Digital Freedom Project filed its claims against the ban in November, arguing they were “an assault on young people’s freedom of political communication.”

In a statement, Reddit explained why it had taken the action.

“While we agree with the importance of protecting people under 16, this law has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors,” a spokesperson said.

“This law is applied to Reddit inaccurately, since we’re a forum primarily for adults and we don’t have the traditional social media features the government has taken issue with.”

Platforms included in the ban include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Twitch, Threads, and Kick.

In a statement this week, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said there was an expectation the rules may not flow smoothly at first, and that some young people may get around restrictions, but said they were playing the “long game.”

“We have been crystal clear with the social media companies about their responsibilities,” she said.

“And I have every confidence that the most powerful and innovative industry of all time has the technical capability to meet these obligations with precision—and with continuous improvement.”

The move has received backing from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) who said many young people faced severe wellbeing impacts due to social media use.

“Much of that happens on social media,” said Dr. Michael Wright. “We know that children and young people are spending extensive time on social media, and this is restricting their sleep and impacting their overall wellbeing.”

The RACGP also pointed to research connecting adolescent usage to anxiety, bullying and harmful content.

It highlighted 2021 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia statistics that estimated around seven percent of 15–17-year-olds had long-term mental-health conditions requiring treatment, and 19 percent were diagnosed with depression, anxiety or another mental illness—triple the rate recorded in 2009.

The Epoch Times sought comment from Reddit and Minister Wells.

Naziya Alvi Rahman contributed to this article.