Reddit files legal challenge to Australia social media ban

MELBOURNE

Online discussion site Reddit launched a legal challenge on Dec. 11 to Australia's social media ban for under-16s, just days after the landmark law came into effect.

This week, the country became the first to ban young teen accounts from a raft of popular apps and sites including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

Tech companies that fail to purge Australia-based users younger than 16 now face fines of 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33 million).

Court filings by U.S.-based Reddit challenged the validity of the law that "infringes the implied freedom of political communication," calling for a review by Australia's High Court.

The filing also argued that the company should be exempt from the government's list of banned platforms, on the grounds that it is an online discussion forum aimed at adults.

"Unlike other platforms included under this law, the vast majority of Redditors are adults, we don't market or target advertising to children under 18," a Reddit statement said.

"Simply put, users under 16 are not a substantial market segment for Reddit and we don't intend them to be."

Pointing to the site's age rating of "17+" on the Apple App Store, Reddit said the best way to verify age was at the app store level rather than requiring each platform to carry out checks.

A spokesperson argued that the government was inconsistent in selecting which platforms should be banned, with some apps with large under-16 user groups exempt.

Those include Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp, but the government has stressed that the list remains under review.

Reddit criticized the law as "missing the mark on protecting young people online."