In brief: Is Reddit a social media site? The company insists that it isn't, and therefore shouldn't be included in Australia's recent ban on under-16s using social media platforms. Steve Huffman's firm says it is a "collection of public fora," and has now filed a lawsuit in Australia's High Court to overturn the ban or, failing that, make itself exempt.
Australia's under-16 social media ban came into effect last week, just over a year after the legislation was passed. It requires Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube to verify the ages of Australian users and close the accounts of those identified as under 16. Platforms that fail to comply face fines of up to AU$49.5 million ($33 million).
Reddit, which counts Australia as its fourth-largest market, isn't happy with the law's introduction or its inclusion as one of the affected platforms.
In a lawsuit it filed against the Commonwealth of Australia and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland on Friday, Reddit argues that the law infringes Australia's Constitution, which includes an implied freedom of political communication that exists to ensure Australians can "exercise a free and informed choice as electors."
"Australian citizens under the age of 16 will, within years if not months, become electors. The choices to be made by those citizens will be informed by political communication in which they engage prior to the age of 18," Reddit wrote in the filing.
Additionally, Reddit argues that even if the law isn't overturned, it should be made exempt because it does not qualify as a social media platform. Instead, the company claims it "operates as a collection of public fora arranged by subject."
"That is because it is not the case that the sole purpose, or a significant purpose, of Reddit is to enable 'online social interaction' between two or more end-users," the company said.
The eSafety Commission has published a flowchart for each of the legislation's criteria to help companies determine whether they are subject to the rules. Based on this framework, Reddit would likely be classed as an age-restricted social media platform.
The eSafety Commission has also published a list of platforms it says do not fall under the rules. These include Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids (but not YouTube itself).
Reddit acknowledges that it enables online interaction, but argues that this does not amount to social interaction as defined by the legislation.
Reddit's argument that you can't be social online with people you don't know is unlikely to be accepted by the court.
The Australian government is also unconvinced. It said Reddit filed the lawsuit to protect its profits and is not interested in children's right to free expression. "It is action we saw time and time again by Big Tobacco against tobacco control, and we are seeing it now by some social media or big tech giants," said Health Minister Mark Butler.