Reddit has launched a legal challenge to Australia’s world-leading ban on social media for under-16s.
The social media platform filed a challenge to the High Court to repeal the legislation, arguing it raised issues on privacy and political expression.
“While we agree with the importance of protecting people under 16, this law has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors,” Reddit said in a post.
“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.”
The platform said the the laws had created an “illegal patchwork” of which platform were covered by the social media ban and which ones weren’t.
Reddit is among 10 platforms included in the ban, which faces fines of $49.5 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to keep users under 16 off its site.
In its statement, Reddit said it would still comply with the laws as they stand.
“This case is also not about opposing child safety measures or even regulation. There are more targeted, privacy-preserving measures to protect young people online without resorting to blanket bans,” it said.
“Despite the best intentions, this law is missing the mark on actually protecting young people online. So, while we will comply with this law, we have a responsibility to share our perspective and see that it is reviewed by the courts.”
It is the second legal challenge in the High Court to the social media laws, with a separate case being brought forward by two teenagers, backed by the Digital Freedom Project, arguing the changes impacted on political communication.
It comes as high-profile international figures have come out in support of the new restrictions.
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, say the ban is an urgent intervention that will help shield children from “unsafe and addictive platforms”, but argue it’s only a band-aid fix and does not tackle underlying issues with social media.
“This bold, decisive action to protect children at a critical moment in their development sends a strong signal that a child’s mind is not a commodity to be exploited,” they said in a statement on their foundation’s website.
“The ban is an effective measure to stop imminent harm, but ultimately only works as a band-aid that does not address tech’s broken design and exploitative business incentives.”
The high-profile couple have long advocated for tougher rules governing social media safety, and were reported to have abandoned online platforms in early 2021.
Some teenagers have also expressed concern about their future as they grapple with the new age rules.
Carlee Jade Clements is a 15-year-old influencer from Melbourne who has 37,000 Instagram followers but is yet to be kicked off the platform, despite being removed from TikTok when the restrictions took effect on Wednesday.
She’s clinging to her creative future but fears the rules will impact her income and opportunities.
Carlee has spent years building her Instagram following, with the account managed by her mother Simone.
It acts as a digital portfolio to showcase her acting, dancing and modelling, and has helped her land paid opportunities including brand deals.
“I got flown to Sydney for an Invisalign ad that I got paid for, I wouldn’t have had that job without my Instagram,” she told AAP.
“It’s my dream job to be an actor.”
But her followers and views have plunged as her predominantly teenage audience are kicked off the platform, with engagement metrics one of the main determinants of revenue from advertisers.
“It’s really annoying, it’s everything I’ve worked for,” Carlee said.
“It’s taken years and years and years of work, and to take it away like that is devastating.”
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