Australia’s High Court began hearing arguments on Tuesday in two challenges to a law that bars people under 16 from using social media. The cases, being heard together in Canberra over two days, could decide whether the restriction remains in place.
Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project say the law infringes on the implied political rights of 13- to 15-year-olds by limiting their ability to communicate and take part in public debate. The group’s lawyers argued that social media platforms serve as forums where young Australians can receive information, share opinions, question elected officials and organize political activity.
The law took effect in December and covers 10 companies: Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. It requires them to impose age restrictions. The measure was presented as a world-first effort to address the effects of algorithm-driven social media content on developing brains.
The Digital Freedom Project filed its case shortly before the law came into force, while Reddit challenged it two days after implementation. Early indications suggested that a majority of Australian teenagers who had used social media before the ban continued to access it. Similar restrictions have since been adopted in a growing number of countries.
Sources: The New York Times World.