Australian government concedes social media ban places ‘burden’ on freedom of political communication for teens

Source: The Guardian Australia · 2026-11-04T04:47:01.000Z · Politics

Reddit is challenging the Albanese government’s ban in high court, arguing legislation is ‘ill-thought-out’ and ‘over-broad’ The Australian government has rejected Reddit’s high court claim that the under 16s social media ban is a “blunt tool” to reduce harms experienced by teens, arguing it only represents an “indirect and modest” burden on the ability of teens affected to engage in political communications. In its challenge to the ban on Tuesday , Reddit had argued that the Australian government’s rush to pass the ban in 2024 had led to an “ill-thought-out, over-broad legislation”, that the government had since had to narrow down with rules written by the minister in 2026 for design features on platforms that teens should be kept away from. Continue reading...

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