Popular forum website Reddit has taken Australia's world-first teen social media ban to the High Court, arguing the laws are invalid.
Representatives appeared in court in Canberra on Wednesday for a brief directions hearing after Reddit filed a challenge against the federal government and Communications Minister Anika Wells.
Reddit has asked the court to determine two issues: to declare as invalid the laws banning under-16s from having social media accounts, and that the law should not apply to it.
Documents filed by the platform state the ban infringes upon Australia's implied freedom of political expression by restricting teenagers from engaging in political discussions on its site.
This is the primary order Reddit is seeking, barrister representing the platform Jackson Wherrett told the court.
The court heard this same argument is being made by the Digital Freedom Project, which launched a High Court challenge on this basis in November.
If the law is found to be valid, Mr Wherrett said the platform is also seeking an order that Reddit does not fit the law's definition of an "age-restricted social media platform" and should be exempt.
The filing document states it is not Reddit's sole or significant purpose to enable "online social interaction" between two or more end-users.
"It facilitates knowledge sharing from one user to other users," it states.
"It is not a significant purpose of the site to enable interactions engaged in because of a particular user's relationship with or interest in another user as a person; indeed, in most cases the identity of a user on Reddit is not even known to other users."
Mr Wherrett said if the law is found to be valid, Reddit could go to the Federal Court for statutory construction to interpret whether the laws apply to the platform.
Ms Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant previously said Reddit fits the definition, along with nine other platforms included in the ban, which face fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to keep users under 16 off its site.
Chief Justice Stephen Gageler said both matters should partly be heard in tandem, but that Reddit's issues will be determined in advance of the Digital Freedom Project.
A further directions hearing - which is a brief, formal procedure setting out a road map for a case - was set for April 13, 2026.
A Reddit spokesperson said the platform would continue to comply with the law while the court process continues.
