In a nutshell: Reddit is continuing its long-running legal fight against Australia over the country's ban on under-16s using social media. The company has called the rule "ill thought out" and "inept," while repeating its earlier argument that Reddit is not a social media platform.
Australia passed its under-16 social media law in 2024, and the restrictions took effect on December 10, 2025, making it the first country to introduce a ban that has since spread around the world.
The law requires platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or keeping accounts. Companies that fail to do so face court-imposed civil penalties of up to AU$109.2 million (about $76 million).
Unsurprisingly, these companies weren't happy about the change, especially Reddit. Soon after the law was introduced, Steve Huffman's firm challenged the law, emphasized that the platform is a "collection of public fora," rather than a social media site. It also filed a lawsuit in Australia's High Court to overturn the ban or, failing that, make itself exempt.
Reddit and a libertarian advocacy group say the law should be declared invalid because it violates an implied freedom of political expression in the country's constitution.
As for why it shouldn't qualify as a social media site, Reddit says it lacks certain features central to the likes of Facebook, including a reliance on friend networks.
Australia's eSafety Commission has published flowcharts to help companies establish whether they fall under the ban. Based on these criteria, Reddit would likely qualify as an age-restricted social media platform.
Reddit's legal team added that the ban prevented under-16s from posting or replying on platforms it described as the most important means of communication today.
"That is a very profound restriction on political debate in Australia," said Perry Herzfeld, representing Reddit. "There is a very substantial restriction on what young people can now do."
It's also argued that the ban simply isn't having the desired effect of keeping kids off social media. That claim is supported by studies, including one in April that found 61%, or three in five, Australian 12- to 15-year-olds who had accounts on restricted platforms before the ban came into force still have access to one or more accounts.
Reddit said the law did not call for any specific measure to keep out minors, and noted that vast amounts of material on social media were visible to those with no accounts.
"If the Commonwealth is worried about particular features (of social media), it should regulate the features, which it has not done," Herzfeld said.
The questions over how well Australia's ban is working haven't stopped other countries from following its lead. France voted in July to keep under-15s off social media, while the UK plans to introduce its own ban in spring 2027.
Norway, Greece, and Spain are some of the nations to have announced similar plans. Canada proposed an under-16 ban in June, though platforms could apply for an exemption if they can show they have enough safeguards in place to protect kids.