Reddit, the internet message board site, said Friday that it had filed a lawsuit in Australia’s highest court seeking to block the country’s new law banning social media accounts for children under 16, contending it infringes on children’s rights to political communication.
The case, along with an earlier lawsuit filed by two teenagers, sets the stage for the High Court of Australia to weigh in on some of the questions that have shrouded the legislation ever since it was first passed a year ago. Those include whether it impinges on children’s rights, whether it will be able to protect children as intended and what even should be classified as a social media service.
The law, which requires 10 social media services including Reddit to set 16 as the minimum age for account holders, took effect Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of young teenagers were booted off apps like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, but many also reported being able to easily skirt the ban.
Australian officials heralded it as a world-first attempt to hold the platforms accountable and protect young teens from potential ill effects on their mental health and online exploitation, and said they were confident other countries would follow suit.
In its lawsuit, Reddit said the law would have the effect of suppressing teenagers’ freedom and ability to participate in political discussions. It also noted that “vast amounts” of the content on many social media sites is accessible without an account, arguing that meant that “the reduction of risk of harm is minimal (at best)” weighed against the curtailing of children’s rights.
The office of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in response to the legal action that it “will stand firm to protect young Australians from experiencing harm on social media.” It declined to comment further, citing the pending legal action.
Reddit also argued it should not have been included in the law, saying the authorities had created “an illogical patchwork” of which platforms are banned and which are exempt. The company said Reddit’s primary purpose wasn’t social interactions between users, but rather engagement about content posted online.
The company, which is based in San Francisco, said it would comply with the law in the meantime. It previously told regulators it could not provide a number of users younger than 16 because it does not ask for age when users sign up. The company said it would use an “age prediction model” and prompt any users estimated to be between the ages of 13 and 16 to verify their age.
The list of platforms on which age restrictions were to be imposed has evolved since the law was passed, and officials have said it would continue to change. YouTube, one of the most used apps by children, was initially exempt but later included, after protests from other social media companies that it was getting preferential treatment. Twitch, the livestreaming service, was added less than a month before the law went into force.
Roblox, a gaming platform hugely popular among teens and children, is not subject to the ban but last month rolled out age estimation technology for its chat function in response to concerns that it had enabled sexual exploitation. It will become mandatory this month in Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand, the company said.
Victoria Kim is the Australia correspondent for The New York Times, based in Sydney, covering Australia, New Zealand and the broader Pacific region.
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