Reddit sues Australia to escape kids social media ban

""The political views of children inform the electoral choices of many current electors, including their parents and their teachers, as well as others interested in the views of those soon to reach the age of maturity," the company's court filing states. "Preventing children from communicating their political views directly burdens political communication in Australia.""

"Reddit's second argument centers on the test Australia applies to social networks when considering if they should be banned for use by children, and the purpose of the law. One element of that test considers whether a site's sole or significant purpose "is to enable online social interaction between two or more end-users." The intent of the law is to minimize harm to kids. Reddit argues that online social interaction is not a significant purpose of the site, in part because so many users are anonymous."

"The company also asserts that because Australian kids can access Reddit in read-only mode, without an account, the site can still harm them despite the ban. The filing then argues that read-only mode might be more harmful, because when users log in to Reddit they can opt in to filters that mean they don't see age-inappropriate content."

Reddit filed a High Court challenge seeking exemption from Australia's ban on social media accounts for children under 16. The company argues that Australia's constitution protects an implied freedom of political communication and that prohibiting children from social platforms burdens political discourse because children's political views inform many electors. Reddit also contests the statutory test for classifying sites as social networks, asserting that Reddit's purpose is not primarily to enable online social interaction given widespread anonymity. Reddit notes Australian users can access Reddit in read-only mode without accounts and warns that read-only access may increase harm because logged-in users can enable content filters. The government will defend the law.

Read at Theregister