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CANBERRA: Australia has become the first country to ban users under 16 from major platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, with tech firms facing hefty fines for failing to remove young teen accounts.

Reddit is challenging the law in the High Court, arguing it violates political communication rights and shouldn’t apply to its mainly adult-focused platform.

The company also warned that platform-level age checks raise privacy risks and that the government’s list of banned apps is inconsistent, noting that Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp are exempt.

While Australia defends the ban as necessary to protect children from online harm, critics say it threatens free speech and will drive teens toward less regulated spaces.