Reddit is expected to launch a High Court challenge against Australia’s under-16s social media ban, the Australian Financial Review has reported.
The masthead reports the $67 billion platform, which hosts anonymous discussion forums, has enlisted barrister Perry Herzfeld, SC, backed by law firm Thomson Geer to run its case, according to anonymous sources with knowledge of the challenge.
Reddit has enlisted lawyers to launch a High Court challenge against Australia’s under-16s social media ban. Credit: Bloomberg
A Reddit spokesperson said in response to the claims: “The only decision we’ve made is to comply with the law”.
The platform posted a statement this morning outlining how it planned to comply with the ban, but highlighted its concerns with the new restrictions and called their application “legally erroneous”.
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“We are concerned about the potential implications of laws like Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age law. We believe strongly in the open internet and the continued accessibility of quality knowledge, information, resources, and community building for everyone, including young people.
This is why Reddit has always been, and continues to be, available for anyone to read even if they don’t have an account,” the statement said.
“By limiting account eligibility and putting identity tests on internet usage, this law undermines everyone’s right to both free expression and privacy, as well as account-specific protections. We also believe the law’s application to Reddit (a pseudonymous, text-based forum overwhelmingly used by adults) is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian Parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.”
