Australia’s High Court hears bid to overturn under-16s social media ban

Online giant Reddit and advocacy group Digital Freedom Project argue ban is unconstitutional.

Reddit logo is seen in this picture illustration taken August 16, 2026 [Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters]

Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s faces its first major legal test in the High Court, almost one year after taking effect.

The challenge was brought on Tuesday by online platform Reddit and Australian advocacy group Digital Freedom Project.

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Reddit has highlighted a number of issues in its written submission to the court, pointing to problems enforcing the ban and a lack of scientific evidence about the harms of social media.

“The evidence so far is that the effectiveness of the ban has been limited,” Reddit’s submission reads.

Social media companies were forced to delete millions of accounts after Australia banned those aged below 16 from the likes of Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Reddit last December.

The platforms are responsible for identifying and deleting the accounts of underage users, and face hefty fines if they are found in breach of their obligations.

Reddit argued this approach was actually more dangerous, as registered accounts were governed by in-built safety features.

Material posted on many online platforms and social media sites could still be accessed without an account, Reddit said.

“Young people using other platforms without an account are also unable to be protected from exposure to particular harmful content as they previously had been,” its submission read.

Australia said its restrictions would protect young users from graphic content and online predators.

While there is a growing body of evidence about the harms of social media, Reddit argued there was no “scientific consensus”.

A team of Australia-based researchers published a study in August that found little evidence to suggest teenagers have stopped using social media despite the ban.

Digital Freedom Project, led by New South Wales politician John Ruddick, believes the ban is unconstitutional because it restricts teenagers’ ability to take part in political discourse.

“Social media is an important means of accessing news and engaging in political communication for young Australians, including children under 16,” the advocacy group argued in written submissions.

“The restriction also risks removing beneficial sources of connection, support and participation,” it added.

Digital Freedom Project, according to its website, comprises a group of Australians who are concerned about increasing government intervention and censorship in the digital space.

Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project separately announced last year they would challenge the ban.

It was unclear how long the court would take to consider the case.

A 15-year-old Australian girl poses while holding a mobile phone, in Sydney, Australia, July 14, 2026 [Jeremy Piper/Reuters]

The Australian government has stepped up online and social media restrictions to protect young people from pressures and risks they could be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts, according to the online regulator, eSafety Commissioner.

The government has also proposed opt-out laws which would force social media companies to give users the choice to turn off their algorithm.

Meta and its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram are facing a class action lawsuit in Australia over allegations that addictive design features are harming children and teenagers.

The class action suit was filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs who allege they were harmed by Meta while they were below the age of 18.

网络巨头Reddit和倡导组织“数字自由项目”认为该禁令违宪。

这张图片（拍摄于2026年8月16日）中可以看到Reddit的标志。[Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters]

澳大利亚首创的针对 16 岁以下青少年的社交媒体禁令，在生效近一年后，即将面临高等法院的首次重大法律考验。

这项挑战是由在线平台 Reddit 和澳大利亚倡导组织“数字自由项目”于周二提出的。

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澳大利亚寻求大型科技公司支持，以加强网络安全和人工智能监管（共3条，此为第2条）

希腊加入禁止未成年人使用社交媒体的行列（共3条，此为第3条）。

Reddit 在提交给法院的书面文件中强调了许多问题，指出执行禁令存在困难，并且缺乏关于社交媒体危害的科学证据。

Reddit提交的报告称：“目前的证据表明，该禁令的有效性有限。”

去年 12 月，澳大利亚禁止 16 岁以下的用户使用 Facebook、TikTok、YouTube 和 Reddit 等社交媒体平台后，社交媒体公司被迫删除数百万个账户。

这些平台有责任识别和删除未成年用户的账户，如果被发现违反其义务，将面临巨额罚款。

Reddit 认为这种做法实际上更危险，因为注册账户受到内置安全功能的保护。

Reddit表示，即使没有账号，用户仍然可以访问许多在线平台和社交媒体网站上发布的内容。

“年轻人使用其他平台而没有注册账号，也无法像以前那样免受某些有害内容的侵害，”提交的文件写道。

澳大利亚表示，这些限制措施将保护年轻用户免受不良内容和网络掠食者的侵害。

尽管越来越多的证据表明社交媒体存在危害，但Reddit认为目前还没有“科学共识”。

澳大利亚一组研究人员在 8 月份发表了一项研究，结果发现几乎没有证据表明，尽管社交媒体已被禁止，但青少年并没有停止使用社交媒体。

由新南威尔士州政治家约翰·鲁迪克领导的数字自由项目认为，这项禁令违宪，因为它限制了青少年参与政治讨论的能力。

“社交媒体是澳大利亚年轻人（包括 16 岁以下儿童）获取新闻和参与政治交流的重要途径，”该倡导组织在书面陈述中辩称。

报告还指出：“这项限制也可能消除有益的联系、支持和参与来源。”

据其网站介绍，“数字自由项目”由一群对政府在数字领域日益增长的干预和审查感到担忧的澳大利亚人组成。

Reddit 和数字自由项目去年分别宣布将对该禁令提出质疑。

目前尚不清楚法院需要多长时间才能审理此案。

2026年7月14日，在澳大利亚悉尼，一名15岁的澳大利亚女孩手持手机摆姿势拍照。[杰里米·派珀/路透社]

据网络监管机构 eSafety Commissioner 称，澳大利亚政府已加强对网络和社交媒体的限制，以保护年轻人免受他们在登录社交媒体账户时可能面临的压力和风险。

政府还提出了退出机制法案，该法案将强制社交媒体公司允许用户选择关闭其算法。

Meta及其社交媒体平台Facebook和Instagram在澳大利亚面临集体诉讼，指控其令人上瘾的设计功能正在伤害儿童和青少年。

这起集体诉讼由八名原告提起，他们声称在未满 18 岁时受到 Meta 的伤害。