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Australia under-16 social media ban

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Reddit and civil liberties advocates have brought their challenge against the under-16 social media ban to the High Court in Canberra.From: Reddit Launches High Court Challenge Against Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban

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On November 3 at 14:59 UTC, Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project launched a High Court challenge to overturn Australia's 2024 legislation banning social media for children under 16. The plaintiffs asked a seven-judge panel to strike down the blanket restrictions, arguing the laws violate the implied constitutional freedom of political communication by locking teenagers out of civic discourse. The government defended the measure as necessary to protect children from algorithmic harm, noting that over five million accounts have been suspended.

On October 21 at 10:35 UTC, the Australian government announced it was gathering evidence to take Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Google to federal court. Australia's eSafety Commissioner prepared the lawsuit over alleged failures to enforce the ban. The targeted platforms maintained they have taken reasonable steps to comply, framing age verification as a complex technical challenge.

How the story developed

Australia passed landmark legislation in 2024 to ban social media accounts for children under 16. The ban officially took effect in December 2025, establishing a restriction aimed at keeping adolescents off major digital platforms.

By June 24, it emerged that the enforcement of the ban was struggling, with 85 percent of Australian adolescents under 16 still using the restricted platforms. Teenagers bypassed the age-verification checks by utilizing fake accounts, virtual private networks, and self-declared ages. Cybersecurity experts warned that simplistic bans would consistently fail against digital-native youth, though 79 percent of Australian adults continued to support the legislation.

More than five million accounts have been suspended across ten designated platforms since the ban took effect.From: Reddit Launches High Court Challenge Against Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban ·

A regulatory review in July found that 42.1 percent of underage users had retained their accounts despite the December 2025 implementation of the ban.

In response to the compliance issues, the government expanded the investigative powers of the eSafety Commissioner. Additionally, the maximum penalties for non-compliance were doubled to A$109.2 million, setting the stage for the federal lawsuits and High Court challenges over the legislation.

The case pits implied constitutional protections for political speech against the government's mandate to protect children online.From: Reddit Launches High Court Challenge Against Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban ·

What to watch

  • A ruling by a seven-judge panel on Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project's High Court challenge to overturn the 2024 legislation.
  • The eSafety Commissioner's federal lawsuit against Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Google over age-ban violations.
  • The rollout of similar age-gating legislation currently being drafted in Malaysia and the UK, with the latter planned by 2027.

Key numbers

85%
Under-16s bypassing the ban
408
Adolescents surveyed in the study
79%
Adults supporting the legislation
$33 million
Maximum fine for platform breaches

From: Australia's Landmark Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Failing, New Study Shows 85% Still Access Platforms

Charts, maps and images

A July 2026 regulatory review found that underage account ownership declined by only 10 percentage points following the ban.From: Australia Prepares to Sue Five Social Media Platforms Over Under-16 Ban Compliance ·
The eSafety Commissioner has deployed expanded investigative powers to build the federal court case.From: Australia Prepares to Sue Five Social Media Platforms Over Under-16 Ban Compliance ·
Data from the University of Newcastle shows how adolescents are bypassing age-verification checks.From: Australia's Landmark Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Failing, New Study Shows 85% Still Access Platforms ·
While public support for the ban remains high, actual compliance among teenagers is remarkably low.From: Australia's Landmark Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Failing, New Study Shows 85% Still Access Platforms ·
Illustration: Reddit argues that barring teenagers from holding registered accounts locks them out of modern civic discourse.From: Reddit Launches High Court Challenge Against Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban ·
Illustration: International regulators are watching the High Court challenge as a test case for youth internet restrictions globally.From: Reddit Launches High Court Challenge Against Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban ·
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Illustration: Regulators argue platforms possess enough behavioral data to accurately flag underage users without requiring government identification.From: Australia Prepares to Sue Five Social Media Platforms Over Under-16 Ban Compliance ·
The Australian government designed the legislation as a global test case for protecting children from online harms.From: Australia's Landmark Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Failing, New Study Shows 85% Still Access Platforms ·

Timeline

November 2026

  1. Reddit Launches High Court Challenge Against Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban

October 2026

  1. Australia Prepares to Sue Five Social Media Platforms Over Under-16 Ban Compliance

June 2026

  1. Australia's Landmark Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Failing, New Study Shows 85% Still Access Platforms