Australian government defends social media ban for under 16s in court

What the report says

Australian government lawyers defended the country’s under-16 social media ban in court on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting, as the measure faces a constitutional challenge from Reddit and the Sydney-based Digital Freedom Project. The government told the High Court that social media exposure can create risks for children, including mental health harms, and argued the law is a limited restriction meant to protect young users.

The case centers on Australia’s law barring children under 16 from using several platforms, including Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Platforms can face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars if they do not take reasonable steps to remove underage accounts. The challengers say the policy is too broad and unlawfully limits implied freedom of political communication under the constitution.

The court adjourned after a two-day hearing and is expected to rule in the coming months. Al Jazeera noted that Australia was the first country to enforce such a ban last year, and that other governments, including in France and the United Kingdom, have been studying similar restrictions. A ruling against the Australian law could affect those efforts.

Government data cited by Al Jazeera said five million social media accounts have been closed since the ban took effect in December, though officials have acknowledged that some under-16s can still get around age checks.