MELBOURNE, Australia -- Global online forum Reddit on Friday filed a court challenge to Australia’s world-first law that bans Australian children younger than 16 from holding accounts on the world’s most popular social media platforms.California-based Reddit Inc.’s suit filed in the High Court follows a case filed last month by Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project.“The Albanese government is on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms,” a government statement said.Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.9 million) from Wednesday if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts of Australian children younger than 16.Popular ReadsTrump backtracks on releasing boat strike video, distances himself from controversyDec 9, 5:03 PMCharges upgraded to murder in hospital stabbing of San Francisco social workerDec 9, 9:23 PMTrump admin live updates: Trump pardons former entertainment exec indicted by own DOJDec 4, 6:23 AMThe platforms’ age-verification options were to ask for copies of identification documents, use a third party to apply age-estimation technology to analyze an account holder’s face, or make inferences from data already available, such has how long an account has been held.The government hasn't told the platforms how to check ages, but has said requesting all account holders verify their ages would be unnecessarily intrusive, given the tech giants already have sufficient personal data on most people to perform that task.Documents filed with the court registry show Reddit will ask the seven High Court judges to rule the law is invalid.The High Court will hold a preliminary hearing in late February to set a date for Digital Freedom Project's challenge on behalf of two 15-year-olds.It is not yet clear whether the two challenges would be heard together.
Reddit challenges Australia's world-first law banning children under 16 from social media
