Reddit is taking steps to comply with the new Australian social media ban — and is even expanding it globally. The social media and community chat forum said in a statement on Tuesday that it will verify that new members and current account holders in Australia are at least 16, in compliance with the country’s new law that bans people under 16 from using specific apps, such as Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Snapchat, YouTube, Kick, Twitch and others.
But Reddit isn’t stopping there. The company statement said that account holders under 18 everywhere will get different versions of the app that will prevent access to NSFW and mature content. These modified versions of Reddit will have stricter chat settings and will not have ad personalization or sensitive ads.
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A representative for Reddit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Calls Australian law ‘arbitrary’
The San Francisco-based company said the legislation limits free expression and privacy and «is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian Parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.»
«We believe strongly in the open internet and the continued accessibility of quality knowledge, information, resources, and community building for everyone, including young people,» the Reddit statement said. «This is why Reddit has always been, and continues to be, available for anyone to read even if they don’t have an account.»
Age verification rules — such as the UK Online Safety Act — are becoming the norm rather than the exception for governments and companies worldwide. The Wild Wild West of the internet is increasingly being tamed to prevent kids from seeing certain things online. It’s a battleground where privacy, access to information and online safety are huge factors.
Age prediction and verification
The Reddit statement said the company will use an age prediction model to determine if new and existing account holders in Australia are at least 16 years old. The company said that if the model predicts that one of their members is under 16, they will ask them to prove they are of age. As outlined here, people must verify their birthdate by providing a government ID or taking a selfie. The company will suspend accounts of those it determines to be under 16.
Reddit said it will only securely store age information and not the photos or documents used in the verification process. The information will not be visible to advertisers nor anyone else, the company said. The info will only be used to «enhance content relevance and ad experiences» and will not be sold to data brokers.
Aside from compliance with the new Australian law, Reddit said it is also increasing platform safety for those under 18. If you’re under that age, the site will disable ad personalization, and you will not see ads for alcohol, gambling or other sensitive topics. Under-18s also will not be permitted to moderate communities that are dedicated to NSFW or mature content.