Australian government defends social media ban for under 16s in court

Government lawyers argued that social media use posed several risks to children, including depression and anxiety.

Under 16s in Australia have been barred from using social media since December last year [File: AFP]

The Australian government has defended its ban on social media use by children under the age of 16 in court, as it faces a legal challenge that could have global implications.

Government lawyers argued on Wednesday that social media use posed several risks to children, including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. They described the ban as “modest in extent” and argued that restrictions on freedom of political expression were “indirect”.

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The case has been brought by US social media platform Reddit and Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project. They argue that the measure is disproportionate and infringes the implied freedom of political communication under the Australian Constitution.

The country’s highest court adjourned on Wednesday after a two-day hearing and is expected to deliver its verdict in the coming months.

Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a social media ban on children under the age of 16. The measure prompted several other countries, including France and the United Kingdom, to begin exploring similar restrictions.

A defeat for the Australian government could represent a setback for other countries seeking to follow its lead.

The Australian law bans children under the age of 16 from using several social media platforms, including Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Platforms risk being fined up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($34.7m) if they fail to take reasonable measures to remove children’s accounts.

Reddit argued on Wednesday that it should not have been included on the list of 10 age-restricted platforms and that the ban was “ill-targeted” and “over broad”.

The judges will now decide whether the benefits of the ban outweigh the restrictions on freedom of political expression.

According to government data published in July, five million social media accounts have been closed since the ban came into effect in December.

However, the government has conceded that many under-16s can still access social media by circumventing age-verification processes. It announced in June it was considering strengthening laws behind the ban, and is preparing an enforcement lawsuit.

政府律师辩称，社交媒体的使用对儿童构成多种风险，包括抑郁和焦虑。

自去年12月起，澳大利亚禁止16岁以下青少年使用社交媒体。[图片来源：法新社]

澳大利亚政府在法庭上为其禁止 16 岁以下儿童使用社交媒体的禁令进行了辩护，该禁令面临着可能产生全球影响的法律挑战。

政府律师周三辩称，社交媒体的使用对儿童构成多种风险，包括抑郁、焦虑和自杀倾向。他们称这项禁令“范围有限”，并辩称对政治言论自由的限制是“间接的”。

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此案由美国社交媒体平台Reddit和总部位于悉尼的人权组织“数字自由项目”（Digital Freedom Project）提起。他们认为，这项措施过于严苛，侵犯了澳大利亚宪法所隐含的政治言论自由。

该国最高法院在进行了两天的听证会后于周三休庭，预计将在未来几个月内作出判决。

去年，澳大利亚成为世界上第一个对16岁以下儿童实施社交媒体禁令的国家。这一措施促使包括法国和英国在内的其他几个国家开始探索类似的限制措施。

澳大利亚政府的失败可能会对其他试图效仿其做法的国家造成挫折。

澳大利亚法律禁止16岁以下儿童使用包括Reddit、Facebook、Instagram和YouTube在内的多个社交媒体平台。如果这些平台未能采取合理措施删除儿童账户，则可能面临最高4950万澳元（约合3470万美元）的罚款。

Reddit 周三辩称，它不应该被列入 10 个受年龄限制的平台名单中，并称该禁令“目标不明确”且“范围过广”。

现在，法官们将决定这项禁令的益处是否大于对政治言论自由的限制。

根据政府7月份公布的数据，自去年12月禁令生效以来，已有500万个社交媒体账户被关闭。

然而，政府承认，许多未满16岁的青少年仍然可以通过绕过年龄验证程序访问社交媒体。政府在6月份宣布，正在考虑加强相关法律以执行禁令，并准备提起强制执行诉讼。