Reddit to challenge social media ban in court

The Socialist Bulletin Staff - 9/12/2025

SOCIAL media giant Reddit is set to challenge the youth social media ban in court in coming weeks, as the Albanese ban swiftly approaches.

The giant has been strongly opposed to the ban for under-16s since they were included in the ban a month ago, with a statement from Reddit decrying the ban as "controversial" and stating that they disagree with the "scope, effectiveness, and privacy implications" of the ban.

Reddit continued by claiming that the "law undermines [the] right to free expression and privacy" and condemned the law's application to Reddit as "legally erroneous". 

The social media platform has brought on Perry Herzfeld, SC and law firm Thomson Geer to bring the social media ban to the High Court. 

The Reddit-backed case is set to be one of several to go to the High Court in coming months to oppose the social media ban, with a youth-backed challenge also set to go to the High Court in February.

The social media ban has been shown to be detrimental to several minority groups, especially Queer youth, who largely rely on the communities provided by social media. This ban will remove access to much-needed community for Queer under-16s in regional Australia, where discrimination remains widespread.

The technology supporting the ban is additionally unproven, and the few platforms that have brought in so-called "age-assurance" technology have been the subject of leaks, letting thousands of their users' government IDs and images out on to the internet.