24 minutes ago

Reddit files legal challenge against Australia's social media ban

24 minutes ago
02 September 2025, Lower Saxony, Norden: The logo of the Reddit app can be seen on the display of a smartphone on September 2, 2025, while an index finger approaches the application's icon. Reddit is a social news platform and forum that consists of topic-specific communities known as "subreddits". Users can post links, texts, images and videos and discuss them in the respective subreddits. (social network, social media, symbol image, symbol photo, illustration, symbolic photo, illustrative photo, theme image, general image, theme photo) Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa (Photo by MATTHIAS BALK / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)

Photo: AFP / DPA / Matthias Balk

Reddit will file a court challenge alleging that Australia's social media restrictions are being applied to the company inaccurately.

The company is currently complying with the legislation but has said the new law "has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors".

Reddit added the law was "creating an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren't".

In a statement, Reddit said the case was not an attempt to avoid compliance and it would continue to comply and engage with the government regulator.

"We believe there are more effective ways for the Australian government to accomplish our shared goal of protecting youth, and the SMMA law carries some serious privacy and political expression issues for everyone on the internet," Reddit said in the court filing.

"This law is applied to Reddit inaccurately, since we're a forum primarily for adults and we don't have the traditional social media features the government has taken issue with."

Reddit is one of 10 platforms included in Australia's world-first social media ban for children under 16.

To avoid Australia's new age limit laws, a platform must come under an exempt class, which includes messaging, email, voice or video calling, online games, health, education and professional development.

Reddit said "this is also not an effort to retain young users for business reasons".

The social media platform said it did not "market or target advertising to children under 18", saying that under-16s were "not a substantial market segment for Reddit and we don't intend them to be".

-ABC

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