Reddit has filed a legal challenge in the High Court of Australia seeking to overturn the country’s new law that bans social media access for users under 16. The US-based platform, which has a substantial user base in Australia, lodged the case just days after the landmark legislation took effect, making Australia the first nation globally to enforce such an age threshold.
In its submission, Reddit argues the law breaches Australia’s constitutionally implied freedom of political communication. The company claims that preventing under-16s from accessing social media limits their ability to engage in political discussion and form informed opinions—an essential aspect of political participation for young people, as well as the parents and educators who guide them.
Under the legislation, effective 10 December, platforms including Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok must take “reasonable steps” to block users under 16 or face penalties of up to A$49.5 million (approximately ₹447 crore). While Reddit has said it will comply by introducing age-assurance tools such as age inference and estimation technologies, it maintains that the law is fundamentally flawed.
The company argues that mandated verification methods—some of which may require intrusive data collection like facial recognition—create “serious privacy and political expression concerns for everyone online,” including adults. Reddit further contends that it should not be categorised as an ‘age-restricted’ platform at all, asserting that its primary purpose is knowledge-sharing and community discussion rather than real-time social networking.
The lawsuit names the Commonwealth of Australia and Communications Minister Anika Wells as defendants. The government has defended the legislation, stating it stands “on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms,” and is prepared to contest the challenge to safeguard young Australians from online harm. Reddit’s case follows an earlier High Court challenge lodged last month by two teenagers.
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