Australia's under-16 social media ban is set to come into effect this week, and Reddit has announced that it will comply with the law despite calling it "legally erroneous" and "arbitrary".
The platform stated in a post on its site that it was not primarily a social media platform, but rather a source of information, organized around sharing knowledge in topic-based communities. Reddit argued that its users do not use their real names or identities, and that the platform is designed to preserve pseudonymity.
However, new users will be required to provide their birth date on signup, and existing account holders will go through an age-prediction model to verify whether they are over 16. If a user is predicted to be under 16, they will have the opportunity to appeal and verify their age.
Reddit described the under-16s ban as "legally erroneous" in a letter sent to eSafety commissioner in September. The platform also argued that its primary purpose is to provide knowledge-sharing, not social networking among young people.
The company's stance on the matter has raised questions about whether it should be subject to the same regulations as other social media platforms. Reddit cited examples of subreddits such as r/BabyBumpsandBeyondAu and r/AusSkincare, which were used by Australians for advice or product information.
It remains to be seen how other platforms will respond to the under-16s ban, but X is currently the only platform that has yet to announce its compliance. Reddit's Australian regulation page stated that anyone above the age of 13 can sign up for a service.
The platform stated in a post on its site that it was not primarily a social media platform, but rather a source of information, organized around sharing knowledge in topic-based communities. Reddit argued that its users do not use their real names or identities, and that the platform is designed to preserve pseudonymity.
However, new users will be required to provide their birth date on signup, and existing account holders will go through an age-prediction model to verify whether they are over 16. If a user is predicted to be under 16, they will have the opportunity to appeal and verify their age.
Reddit described the under-16s ban as "legally erroneous" in a letter sent to eSafety commissioner in September. The platform also argued that its primary purpose is to provide knowledge-sharing, not social networking among young people.
The company's stance on the matter has raised questions about whether it should be subject to the same regulations as other social media platforms. Reddit cited examples of subreddits such as r/BabyBumpsandBeyondAu and r/AusSkincare, which were used by Australians for advice or product information.
It remains to be seen how other platforms will respond to the under-16s ban, but X is currently the only platform that has yet to announce its compliance. Reddit's Australian regulation page stated that anyone above the age of 13 can sign up for a service.
, Australia's under-16 social media ban is such a huge overreach! Like what even is the point of having an 'age prediction model' 
? Are they seriously trying to regulate every single 15-year-old's online life?! It's just so unfair and invasive... I mean, Reddit is literally saying it's not even a social media platform, but no one wants to listen 
. And what about all the kids who use their parents' accounts or don't even have one in the first place?! This law is just going to create so much more problems than it solves 
... and Reddit is literally taking a stand for its users, but it's not getting the recognition it deserves 
. The fact that they're citing subreddits like r/BabyBumpsandBeyondAu as examples of knowledge-sharing is just so relatable 
... but no one cares about that, do they? 
it's crazy how some governments think they can control what people share online. I get where Australia is coming from, wanting to protect kids from harm, but I feel like this law is kinda heavy-handed 
Reddit's stance makes total sense - they're not just a social media platform, they're more like a knowledge-sharing community 
I'm curious to see how other platforms respond to this law. is it fair that Reddit has to comply while others don't? 
what's next? are they gonna start enforcing age restrictions on r/gaming or something? 
And let's be real, have you seen some of the stuff that goes down in those r/BabyBumps and BeyondAu subreddits? It's not exactly 'social networking' per se... 
their matcha lattes are insane! anyway back to reddit's stance on the under-16 ban, i think its kinda weird that they're making an age-prediction model for existing users tho? like isnt that just asking for a bunch of false positives and negatives? anyway what's the point of regulating subreddits anyway? dont they have rules already in place or something? btw has anyone tried that new plant-based milk at coles? its supposed to be made from almonds or somethin