Reddit Takes Australia to Court Over Teen Ban

Reddit has filed a High Court lawsuit to overturn Australia’s new law banning social media access for under-16s, arguing it infringes on political expression and free communication. The company says it should be exempt or the law declared invalid as it imposes intrusive requirements and misclassifies Reddit’s core functions.

Read more: Social Media Ban Bill Withdrawn by Senate

On Friday, Reddit, Inc. lodged a legal challenge in Australia’s highest court against the recently enacted Social Media Minimum Age law, which prohibits children under 16 from having accounts on major platforms and imposes fines of up to A$49.5 million for non-compliance. The San Francisco-based platform argues the legislation interferes with the constitutionally implied freedom of political communication and could force intrusive age verification processes on all users, not just teens.

Reddit asserts it does not fit the statutory definition of a “social media platform” the law targets and that the measure creates an inconsistent regulatory patchwork across services. While the company says it will continue to comply with the law, its lawsuit marks a major test case that may influence how digital rights, youth access, and platform classification are treated under emerging global tech regulations.

The outcome could reshape legal boundaries between national safety goals and digital expression rights at a time when countries worldwide are experimenting with stricter online safety laws.