Reddit is suing the Australian government over its ban on social media use for children under 16.

Reddit, a popular online community forum, has filed a lawsuit challenging Australia's ban on social media access for teenagers under 16, arguing that the new law is ineffective and goes too far in restricting online political discussion.

In a lawsuit filed with the Australian Supreme Court, the news and social aggregator platform stated that the law is “invalid on the basis of implicit freedom of political communication,” arguing that it hinders political communication.

Canberra's ban took effect on December 9 and targeted 10 major services, including Alphabet's YouTube, Meta's Instagram, ByteDance's TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat, and Elon Musk's X. All targeted platforms have agreed to comply with the policy to varying degrees.

The Australian Prime Minister's Office, the Department of Justice , and other social media platforms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Under the law, targeted platforms would have to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage access, using age verification methods such as inference from online activity, facial estimation through selfies, uploaded identification documents, or linked bank account information.

Reddit's lawsuit aims to declare the law invalid or exclude the platform from its provisions.

In a statement to CNBC, Reddit said that while they agree with the importance of protecting those under 16, the law could isolate teenagers “from the ability to participate in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions).”

They also stated in the lawsuit that the law “burdens political communication,” saying that “children’s political views influence the electoral choices of many current voters, including their parents and teachers, as well as others concerned with the views of those approaching adulthood.”

The platform also argued that it should not be subject to this law, stating that it operates as an adult forum facilitating “knowledge sharing” among users rather than a traditional social network, and that it does not import contact lists or address books.

“Reddit is significantly different from other websites that allow users to make friends, post photos of themselves, or organize events,” the platform stated in the lawsuit.

Reddit also stated in court filings that most content on its platform is accessible without an account, and pointed out that those under 16 “could easily be protected from online dangers if they had an account.”

"That's because accounts may be bound by settings that limit their access to specific types of content that could be harmful to them," a Reddit representative added.

Despite its objections, Reddit stated that the lawsuit was not an attempt to evade legal compliance, nor was it an attempt to retain young users for business reasons.

"There are more privacy protections available to safeguard young people online without resorting to a complete ban," the platform stated.

Previously, on December 10th, a day after the ban on children under 16 using social media came into effect, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged that some young people were still using social media, but he argued that although implementation is always difficult, the ultimate result would be that many children would be saved.

A day after the law came into effect, Australian social media sites were flooded with comments from people identifying themselves as under 16, including a comment on the prime minister's TikTok account saying, "I'm still here, wait until I can vote."

Governments around the world have said they will monitor the deployment in Australia as they consider whether to do the same. U.S. Republican Senator Josh Hawley has supported the ban once it takes effect, according to Nine Newspapers.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/reddit-kien-chinh-phu-australia-ve-lenh-cam-tre-duoi-16-tuoi-su-dung-mang-xa-hoi-post1082664.vnp