Australia's High Court Hears Challenge to Under-16 Social Media Ban

Australia's High Court began hearing a challenge Tuesday to the country's ban on social media accounts for children under 16, with Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project arguing that the restrictions interfere with political communication.

The ban took effect in December last year. Platforms must take steps to prevent underage users from holding accounts, and can face substantial fines if they fail to meet their obligations. The Guardian reported that more than 5 million accounts understood to belong to under-16s have been suspended or deactivated across 10 platforms.

Reddit's lawyer Perry Herzfeld argued that teenagers can still read much of the material without an account but cannot post, comment or vote on content. The company says that limits their participation in political discussion and that a broad account ban is not the right way to address harmful design features.

The Australian government says the restrictions protect children from online harms. Government barrister Joanna Davidson told the court that features including autoplay, recommendation systems and default notifications encourage prolonged use and can create combined risks. She said children are more vulnerable because of their stage of development.

The Digital Freedom Project, led by New South Wales politician John Ruddick, adopted Reddit's arguments against the law. Its case also raises whether the advocacy group has standing to bring the challenge.

The court's case listing schedules hearings for November 3 and 4. The Guardian said the government would continue its arguments Wednesday. No ruling overturning the ban was reported in the available coverage.