Reddit
has filed a challenge against Australia’s
under-16s social media ban in the high
court, lodging its case two days after
implementing age restrictions on its
website.
The company said in a post on Friday that
while Reddit agreed
with protecting people under 16, “this law
has the unfortunate effect of forcing
intrusive and potentially insecure
verification processes on adults as well
as minors, isolating teens from the
ability to engage in age-appropriate
community experiences (including political
discussions), and creating an illogical
patchwork of which platforms are included
and which aren’t”.
Reddit
added: “As the Australian Human Rights
Commission put it, ‘There are less
restrictive alternatives available that
could achieve the aim of protecting
children and young people from online
harms, but without having such a
significant negative impact on other human
rights.’
“Lastly,
this law is applied to Reddit
inaccurately, since we’re a forum
primarily for adults and we don’t have the
traditional social media features the
government has taken issue with.”
Reddit
is seeking to challenge the law on the
grounds it infringes on the implied
freedom of political communication. It
said it was not seeking to challenge the
law to avoid compliance, and has
implemented age assurance measures since
Wednesday.
The
company said the vast majority of
Redditors were adults, and advertising
isn’t targeted to children under 18. The
Apple app store age rating for Reddit is
17+.
“Despite
the best intentions, this law is missing
the mark on actually protecting young
people online. So, while we will comply
with this law, we have a responsibility to
share our perspective and see that it is
reviewed by the courts.”
The
case sought is separate to a similar legal
challenge on freedom of speech groundsfiled
by New South Wales Libertarian MP John
Ruddick’s Digital Freedom Project group.
More
details soon …
