Reddit Sues Australia Claiming It's Not Social Media, Just 'Internet Talking Hole'
KEY POINTS
- â˘Australia's new law, effective December 2024, bans children under 16 from maintaining social media accounts to protect them from harmful effects.
- â˘Reddit filed a lawsuit against the Australian government, denying it is a social media platform and claiming it mainly serves adults in public forums.
- â˘Other tech giants like TikTok and Meta also oppose the law, while countries like Malaysia and Norway are considering similar age restrictions.
On December 2024, Australia's Social Media Minimum Age law slapped a 'no kids under 16' sign on accounts, turning platforms into digital bouncers. Reddit, founded in 2005 and now a $6.4 billion public darling, threw a legal tantrum claiming theyâre not even social media but 'a collection of public fora arranged by subject,' which sounds like the world's nerdiest cocktail party. They argue their upvotes are just helpful notes, not drama signalers, and that hiding user identities means no 'online social interaction' â because anonymous yelling at strangers clearly isnât social. They sued Australia's Minister of Communications citing an 'implied freedom of political communication,' while warning insecure age-checks might trap adults in the same digital ID line as teens. Meanwhile, TikTok, Meta, and even Malaysia and Scandinavia watched the chaos, prepping similar social media teen barricades by 2026, proving the kid ban trend is about as subtle as a glitter bomb at a board meeting.
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Reddit insists it's just 'public forums' and not social media because apparently yelling at strangers anonymously doesnât count as interaction these days.
Australia's new law has Reddit pretending to be a library where strangers swear at each other anonymously. Welcome to 2024 logic.
Reddit: 'Weâre not social media, weâre just a chaotic message board where voting is just helpful, honest feedback!' Sure, and my fridge is a nightclub.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/15/2025 | Author: Lauren Edmonds
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