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Health Minister Mark Butler has said the Australian government will “fight every step of the way” against Reddit’s legal challenge over the under-16s social media ban.
Reddit is one of 10 platforms that must restrict Australian users aged under 16 from creating or holding accounts under the world-first laws.
The United States-based company said earlier this week it would comply with the legislation but argued that it believed its application to Reddit was “arbitrary” and “legally erroneous”.
The company filed a lawsuit on Friday morning, challenging its inclusion on the list of prohibited platforms. They argued that they should be exempt because they are “not an age-restricted app” and claimed that the law “violates the implied freedom of political communication.”
In a statement, Reddit said the law had been applied inaccurately, as it was “a forum primarily for adults and we don’t have the traditional social media features the government has taken issue with”.
On Friday, Butler said Reddit’s legal challenge came as “no surprise” and rejected the company’s argument that it was defending political freedoms.
“It’s action taken to protect the profits that they make at the expense of the mental health of young people, and we will fight this action every step of the way,” he told reporters.
“This is reminiscent of the tactics used by big tobacco against tobacco regulations, and now we’re witnessing similar actions by some social media and tech giants against crucial social media reforms,” a representative stated.
Health Minister Mark Butler drew parallels between Reddit’s legal challenge and the historical actions of tobacco companies, emphasizing the ongoing struggle against industry giants. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
The company said it was not challenging the law to avoid compliance, and that it had implemented age-verification methods.
Reddit also argued on Friday that the law was “creating an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren’t”.
Earlier this week, the company said there were “obvious platforms” that were exempt from the ban.
Reddit’s lawsuit marks the second legal challenge in the High Court to the laws.
A case filed by NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick’s Digital Freedom Project group is arguing the laws restrict the implied right to freedom of political communication.
