Reddit has reportedly filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court challenging the country’s new social media ban for under 16s as it argues the move violates free speech and political communication rights.

The law, which came into effect on 10 December, makes Australia the first country to enforce a legally binding minimum age for social media use.

The new law will require tech giants including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and X to restrict underage access or face penalties up to $50 million (AUD).

The list of platforms currently includes Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Kick and Twitch.

In a lawsuit filed on Friday morning to try to overturn its inclusion, Reddit argued that the ban violates Australia's implied constitutional freedom of political communication and limits young people's ability to participate in public debate, as it is not an age-restricted application.

The US-based company also argued that it should not be classified as “social media” under the law, as it functions more like a discussion forum, Reuters reported.

Communications Minister Anika Wells and the Commonwealth of Australia were named as defendants.

According to Reuters, the government has signalled that it will oppose the lawsuit.

Australia health minister Mark Butler said that the legal challenge came as “no surprise”, dismissing the company's claims that the move was aimed at ensuring freedom of expression.

"It's action taken to protect the profits that they make at the expense of the mental health of young people, and we will fight this action every step of the way," he told reporters. "It is action we saw time and time again by big tobacco against tobacco control, and we are seeing it now by some social media or BigTech giants taking it out against the world-leading social media reforms.”

Reddit's move comes after two teenagers representing an Australian libertarian group filed a lawsuit against the ban last month.

The platform’s legal challenges against the new ban could open the door for other platforms that are on the list as well.

Video-sharing platform YouTube has already expressed its scepticism about the ban.

Earlier this month, the company provided users with an update on how it intends to comply with Australian law on the minimum age for social media use but warned that the legislation “will not make children safe online.”

Rachel Lord, public policy senior manager at Google and YouTube Australia, said that the “rushed regulation” does not understand the YouTube platform or how young Australians use it, adding that it has “failed to consider the full complexities of online safety.”

Countries around the world are closely watching developments surrounding the ban, with some stating that they will follow a similar path.

Last month, Malaysia reportedly said it was considering banning social media use by users under the age of 16 for child safety reasons.

According to a Reuters report, Malaysia communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the government is looking at other countries, including Australia, to see how they are imposing age restrictions on the use of social media platforms, as it plans to impose a new ban from 2026.

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