Reddit and an advocacy group take Australia's under-16 social media ban to the High Court

Reddit and an advocacy group headed by a libertarian politician are asking Australia's High Court to overturn the country's under-16 social media ban, The Guardian reported. Libertarians generally favour limited government intervention in people's lives and business.

The High Court is Australia's highest court, and the case is the first major legal challenge to the ban, the Guardian said. The law sets a minimum age of 16 for holding accounts on age-restricted social media platforms, meaning that no one under 16 may have an account on those services.

Reddit is a U.S. online message board company, and it is one of the parties challenging the law. The Australian government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced the ban. The Australian reported that Reddit is part of the High Court challenge to the Albanese government's ban.

According to the BBC, Reddit argues that the policy has serious implications for privacy and political rights. The challenge also asks the court to overturn Reddit's inclusion in the ban itself.

Reddit first moved against the ban in December 2025. Reuters reported at the time that the company had filed suit to challenge the law and its application to Reddit.

The case is now before the High Court, which has not yet ruled on it.