Australia rushed through ‘ill-thought-out’ under-16s social media ban, Reddit argues as high court challenge begins

Reddit challenges ban on grounds it impinges implied freedom of political communications for teens

The Australian government’s rush to pass the under-16s social media ban legislation in 2024 led to “ill-thought-out, over-broad legislation” that has since been narrowed after Reddit sued the government, lawyers for the social media company told the high court on Tuesday.

Reddit, one of the top 10 websites visited in the world, has challenged the teen social media ban on the grounds that it impinges the implied freedom of political communication for under-16s.

In oral arguments before the high court on Tuesday, Reddit’s counsel, Perry Herzfeld SC, argued in the years leading up to the ban legislation, a 2021 parliamentary inquiry on social media had not recommended introducing a ban, with the eSafety commissioner warning the…