Reddit to lock out thousands of teens as it complies with ‘legally erroneous’ social media ban

Reddit has confirmed it will start blocking users under 16 to comply with the country’s social media ban when it comes into force on Wednesday, despite claiming the law should not apply to the platform and is “legally erroneous”. The ban means hundreds of thousands of Australians under 16 will no longer be able to access social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. Reddit and Kick were added to the “dynamic” ban list in early November, with platforms responsible for kicking off existing under-16 account holders and preventing any new ones from signing up. In a post to users on Tuesday morning, Reddit spelled out how it would comply with the ban despite disagreeing with its scope, effectiveness and privacy implications. “By limiting account eligibility and putting identity tests on internet usage, this law undermines everyone’s right to both free expression and privacy, as well as account-specific protections,” the post read. “We also believe the law’s application to Reddit (a pseudonymous, text-based forum overwhelmingly used by adults) is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.” Reddit enlisted barrister Perry Herzfeld SC to mount a legal challenge, supported by law firm Thomson Geer, the Australian Financial Review reported. A spokesperson for the San Francisco-based platform did not deny the company was preparing a lawsuit. “The only decision we’ve made is to comply with the law,” they said. In a post to users on Tuesday morning, Reddit spelled out how it would comply with the ban despite disagreeing with its scope, effectiveness and privacy implications. “By limiting account eligibility and putting identity tests on internet usage, this law undermines everyone’s right to both free expression and privacy, as well as account-specific protections,” the post read. “We also believe the law’s application to Reddit (a pseudonymous, text-based forum overwhelmingly used by adults) is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.” Under changes on the platform, new Australian users will provide their birthdate during sign up and all account holders will be subject to an “age prediction model”. If they are believed to belong to a user under 16, accounts will be suspended, but there will be an opportunity for users to appeal and verify their ages. Teen account holders under 18 will also be funnelled into a version of the platform with more protective safety features, including stricter chat settings and no access to not-safe-for-work or mature content.