Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court seeking to strike down the country’s new nationwide social media ban for children under 16, arguing that the law unlawfully restricts free political communication and threatens user privacy.
The challenge, lodged Friday, marks the most significant legal pushback yet against Australia’s world-first age-access law, which took effect on December 10.
The San Francisco–based company, one of Australia’s most widely used online platforms, said in its filing that the law should be ruled invalid because it interferes with the implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
Reddit added that even if the ban were upheld, it should not apply to the platform since it does not fit the legislation’s definition of “social media.”
Reddit’s action follows an earlier lawsuit filed by two teenagers backed by an Australian libertarian group, but the company’s involvement significantly elevates the stakes. With a market value of roughly $44 billion, Reddit brings substantial legal and financial resources that could prolong the court battle and potentially embolden other platforms to challenge the rules.
Australian officials quickly rejected Reddit’s claims.
A spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government remains “on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms,” adding that it would “stand firm to protect young Australians from experiencing harm on social media.”
Health Minister Mark Butler accused Reddit of prioritizing corporate interests over community safety.
He told reporters in Brisbane that the company filed suit “to protect profits, not young people’s right to political expression,” drawing a comparison to “action we saw time and time again by Big Tobacco against tobacco control.”
Australia’s law, the first of its kind globally, requires platforms to block access for users under 16 or face penalties of up to A$49.5 million (about $33 million). The rules don’t punish minors or caregivers but place full responsibility on the companies, which must use tools such as age inference based on online behavior or selfie-based age estimation.
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Ten major platforms — including Reddit, Meta’s Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok — campaigned against the proposal for more than a year. While all ultimately pledged to comply ahead of the rollout, Reddit said the measure raises broader concerns.
In a statement issued alongside its court filing, the company warned that the law “carries some serious privacy and political expression issues for everyone on the internet,” and said it was seeking judicial review to protect those rights.
The lawsuit now sets up a major constitutional test for Australia’s approach to regulating digital platforms. A ruling in Reddit’s favor could reshape the scope of the country’s online safety laws and invite similar challenges from other tech giants.
The High Court is expected to set a timetable for hearings in the coming months, signaling a protracted battle over how far governments can go to control young people’s access to the internet, and how forcefully global platforms will push back.
