CANBERRA: Messaging platform Reddit argued in Australia’s High Court on Tuesday that the country’s world-first teen social media ban constitutes a profound restriction on political debate.
Reddit and a libertarian advocacy group filed the legal challenge against the legislation, which prohibits platforms from permitting under-16s to hold accounts.
Plaintiffs asked the seven-judge panel to declare the law invalid, asserting that it breaches the implied freedom of political communication in Australia’s Constitution.
Representing Reddit, lawyer Perry Herzfeld told the court that barring young people from holding accounts severely restricts their ability to participate in modern communication.
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Herzfeld described the legislation as “ill thought out” and “inept,” arguing that it fails to address other online spaces like gaming websites while bypassing material visible to unlogged users.
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Reddit also maintained that the platform should be exempt from the rules entirely because it lacks core social media features, such as reliance on traditional friend networks.
Defending the legislation, Communications Minister Anika Wells stated outside the court that the government would vigorously contest the lawsuit.
“We are here to defend a fundamental tenet of Australian democracy, which is an Australian’s right, and particularly an Australian child’s right, to be free from harm,” Wells said. The High Court has not yet ruled on the challenge.
(With input from Reuters)
