Reddit Sues Australia Over Under-16 Social Media Ban
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| Credits: AllBlogThings |
The push for this ban traces back to growing worries about how social media affects young minds. Back in 2024, lawmakers in Australia started debating the idea after reports piled up on issues like bullying, body image struggles, and sleep disruption tied to endless scrolling.
Global voices, including alerts from health experts, fueled the fire, pointing to data that linked heavy platform use with higher rates of anxiety and depression in teens.
In November 2024, the government passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, setting 16 as the cutoff for accounts on sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
The new social media age rule kicked in on December 10, 2025, making Australia the first nation to enforce such a wide-reaching limit.
Under the new setup, all major platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, X, and even Reddit must block under-16s from signing up or logging in, or face hefty fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
Kids and parents get no penalties if they slip through, but companies have to step up with age checks, like scanning selfies for facial estimates or analyzing user behavior patterns.
The eSafety Commissioner handles oversight, working to keep things fair while targeting harms like exposure to explicit material or predatory contacts.
Here's a quick timeline of how it all unfolded:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Early 2024 | Discussions ramp up in parliament on youth mental health risks from social media. |
| November 2024 | Online Safety Amendment Act passes, mandating a 16-year minimum age. |
| Throughout 2025 | Platforms like Meta and TikTok lobby against the ban but prepare for compliance. |
| December 10, 2025 | Ban takes effect, booting hundreds of thousands of young users off apps. |
| December 11, 2025 | Reddit files High Court challenge. |
Reddit's suit, lodged in the High Court on December 11, 2025, calls the ban a direct hit on constitutional rights.
The company argues that it blocks political talk for kids who are close to voting age, since they need access to ideas that shape their views before turning 18.
Reddit also points out that much content stays open without an account, so the ban does little to cut real risks while slashing freedoms.
On top of that, they say the rule drags in privacy headaches for all users through forced ID checks.
Reddit even claims it doesn't count as social media under the law's terms, positioning itself more as an open forum.
In their filing, Reddit stated:
"The law 'carries some serious privacy and political expression issues for everyone on the internet,'" and "we are filing an application to have the law reviewed."
Government leaders fired back fast. Communications Minister Anika Wells' office said:
"The Australian government was 'on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms' and would 'stand firm to protect young Australians from experiencing harm on social media'."
Health Minister Mark Butler added:
"Reddit filed the lawsuit to protect profits, not young people's right to political expression, and 'we will fight this action every step of the way'."
He likened it to old fights with tobacco companies over health rules.
This isn't the first court test; two teens from a libertarian group sued last month, saying the ban stomps on their communication rights.
With Reddit now in the mix, the case could ripple out, testing how nations balance tech oversight and user liberties.
Other countries watch closely, as similar ideas bubble up elsewhere amid shared concerns over screen time and online safety.
Plenty of kids already dodge the blocks with fake details or VPN tricks, raising questions on how well it all works in practice.
Still, backers see it as a bold step to shift responsibility onto tech giants and spark wider changes in how platforms handle young audiences.
