Australia Government Defends Teen Social Media Ban in High Court Challenge by Reddit

Reddit Challenges Australia Teen Social Media Ban in High Court

That is a very profound restriction on political debate in Australia, Perry Herzfeld, a lawyer for messaging platform Reddit, told the country’s top court on Tuesday, nbcnews.com reported. Reddit and a libertarian advocacy group have taken the federal government to the High Court in the first legal challenge against the world-first ban, which blocks children under 16 from holding social media accounts.

The Tech TL;DR:

• Australia’s High Court is hearing a legal challenge from Reddit against the late-2024/2025 teen social media ban, which has suspended over 5 million accounts across 10 platforms.
• Reddit argues the law creates an over-broad restriction on political communication for under-16s, while the government maintains the ban targets addictive design features like endless scroll and algorithmic personalization rather than political speech.
• Platforms facing non-compliance now risk massive fines up to 99 million Australian dollars as the eSafety Commissioner steps up enforcement efforts.

Barrister Defends Statutory Scheme in High Court

The legislation was designed from the start to rely on rules set later by the communications minister, government barrister Stephen Lloyd SC argued in court on Wednesday, theguardian.com reported. Lloyd told the High Court that rule-making formed part of the statutory scheme from the outset and the law should be evaluated based on how it operates now. Reddit had contended that a rush to pass the framework in 2024 yielded ill-thought-out legislation that required subsequent rule-writing by the minister in 2026.

Lloyd stated that the ban targets specific engagement features including endless scroll, likes, comments, personalized recommendations, and push notifications. These elements create a credible risk of adolescent harm such as sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation, according to the government’s submission. While acknowledging the ban places a burden on political communication for users under 16, Lloyd described that burden as narrow, indirect, and modest because the restriction is viewpoint-neutral and young people can still view public content without an account or utilize unbanned services.

Platforms Suspend Millions of Teen Accounts

Since the restriction took effect in December, platforms have suspended or deactivated more than 5 million user accounts belonging to individuals under 16 across 10 covered services, theguardian.com reported. The mandated platforms include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Kick, X, Twitch, and Threads. Aside from YouTube Kids, none of the major platforms have secured an exemption for a dedicated teen version of their applications.

Reddit’s legal team pushed back against the framework, telling nbcnews.com that the statute amounts to inept policy because it fails to regulate specific platform features directly or restrict other digital environments like gaming sites where cyberbullying also occurs. Herzfeld argued that forcing platforms to comply without offering a built-in mechanism to strip out harmful features leaves operators with no viable path other than a blanket account lockout. Meanwhile, nbcnews.com reported that the Australian government has raised the maximum fine for non-compliance to 99 million Australian dollars ($69.5 million), expanded the eSafety Commissioner’s discovery powers, and prepared enforcement lawsuits against major tech companies as the High Court reserves its final decision.

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