Reddit Argues It Isn’t Like Other Social Platforms In Case Against Australia’s Social Media Ban

In a move worthy of a station connected nan Not Like Other Girls subreddit, Reddit, 1 of nan world’s largest societal platforms, is arguing that it isn’t for illustration other, existent societal media sites, arsenic nan institution seeks to overturn Australia’s rule banning children nether 16 years of property from societal media.

In a lawsuit revenge pinch Australia’s apical court, Reddit argues nan law, which came into unit connected December 10, limits free governmental sermon by preventing children from airing their views online, and should beryllium overturned.

And if nan authorities isn’t overturned, nan institution says it should beryllium exempted from nan rule because it doesn’t meet nan legislation’s meaning of a “social media platform.”

Reddit is fundamentally asking nan Australian High Court to reside immoderate of nan questions raised astir nan legislation, which requires 10 awesome services to deactivate under-16s’ accounts and forestall them from utilizing nan app. Critics reason that nan rule infringes connected children’s rights, and companies person sought to raise questions astir what “social media” moreover defines.

Indeed, calling itself a “collection of nationalist fora arranged by subject,” Reddit brought up definitions of nan connection “social” successful its filing to make nan lawsuit that “it is not nan sole aliases a important intent of Reddit to alteration persons to interact ‘in a societal manner’.”

“Reddit enables online interactions astir nan contented that users station connected nan site. It facilitates knowledge sharing from 1 personification to different users. It is not a important intent of nan tract to alteration interactions engaged successful because of a peculiar user’s narration pinch aliases liking successful different personification arsenic a personification […] Reddit is importantly different from different sites that let for users to go “friends” pinch 1 another, aliases to station photos astir themselves, aliases to organise events,” nan filing reads.

In a post accompanying nan filing, Reddit admin LastBluejay said nan rule carries “some superior privateness and governmental look issues for everyone connected nan internet.”

“While we work together pinch nan value of protecting group nether 16, this rule has nan unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and perchance insecure verification processes connected adults arsenic good arsenic minors, isolating teens from nan expertise to prosecute successful age-appropriate organization experiences (including governmental discussions), and creating an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren’t,” nan station reads.

Reddit besides points retired that a important information of contented connected societal media platforms is accessible without an account, and kids nether 16 years aged would beryllium much easy protected if they were allowed to person accounts that could past beryllium restricted.