Reddit has filed a lawsuit in court claiming that Australia's minimum age for social media use is wrong. The company is demanding that Reddit be removed from the list of banned platforms.
What you should know
Australia has implemented a law that could see technology companies fined up to $33 million if they give users under the age of 16 access to their platforms.
Reddit has said in its application that the 'Social Media Minimum Age Act' violates the right to political dialogue and that the High Court of Australia should interpret it. Reddit alleges that the government has not been consistent in which platforms to ban and that some apps with a high number of users under the age of 16 have been exempted.
Since the law came into effect this week, teenagers there have been reacting to the fact that these days are different from before. Olivia, 13, from Sydney, told the BBC that while she uses social media for communication purposes and suggestions, as well as for positive things such as following role models, the lifestyle of children who grow up without such networks will be different.
Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kik, Twitch, TikTok have deactivated the accounts of users under the age of 16 in Australia from Wednesday. Children will not even be able to create new accounts. Australia requires proof of age to be submitted when creating an account on these platforms. The Australian government has made it mandatory for platforms to have age verification tools. So far, 200,000 accounts have been deactivated from TikTok alone, and millions more are expected to be closed in the coming days. According to Reuters, some Australian teenagers had been online until Tuesday night, the day before the ban was implemented, sharing feelings of separation, such as the song "Skyfall" by singer Adele and its song "This Is the End".
Some expressed anger at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over the ban. Albanese himself has lost 6,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram.
Australia last year introduced legislation that would impose fines of up to $33 million on platforms that fail to verify age and allow minors to access the network. The law, passed in November 2024, required social media platforms to block users under the age of 16. The law came into effect on December 10 this year.
The ban has drawn global attention. Malaysia, Denmark and Norway have also announced plans to introduce similar restrictions. The European Union has passed a proposal to adopt a similar ban. The British government told Reuters that it was also “closely monitoring Australia’s initiative to set an age limit for social media use.”
The eSafety Commission, established by Australia in 2015 to ensure online safety, is tasked with enforcing and overseeing the requirement for users to be at least 16 years old to use social media. Commission Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told Channel Nine that it was not practical to deactivate entire accounts overnight, but that was expected given the fast-paced nature of technology companies. She said the short, medium and long-term impact of the ban would be assessed.
'With one law, we can protect future generations from the torture created by predatory algorithms,' Communications Minister Annika Wells said. 'These algorithms are what the creators of these algorithms call practical enforcement. By banning them, our children will be able to learn to play an instrument, walk their dogs or spend time practicing sports.'
Minister Wells said that teenagers are not to blame for their addiction to social media, but that this is a designer feature, meaning that the platform makers have deliberately developed the platform to be addictive. 'After this law is implemented, teenagers will undoubtedly be upset, struggling to reconnect, and some may even be able to bypass the ban and gain access to their accounts. But, I believe, the temporary inconvenience will be worth the long-term benefits.'
