Reddit has confirmed it will comply with Australia’s imminent ban on social-media accounts for users under sixteen, even as the company sharply criticised the legislation as “legally erroneous” and misaligned with the platform’s core purpose.

The decision comes days before the new rules take effect on December ten, requiring major digital platforms to prevent minors from creating or maintaining accounts.

In its response, Reddit argued that the law wrongly categorises the service as a typical social-networking platform, noting that its primary function is topic-driven discussion rather than personal networking.

Nonetheless, it will move forward with compliance measures that include requiring new Australian users to provide a date of birth at sign-up and deploying a privacy-preserving age-prediction model for existing accounts.

Users assessed as likely to be under sixteen will be suspended, with an appeals process available for those who can verify their age.

Australia’s new framework, created under the Online Safety Amendment legislation, obliges platforms whose main purpose is enabling social interaction to take reasonable steps to block access for minors.

Failure to meet the requirement can trigger significant financial penalties.

Authorities maintain the law is intended to protect children from digital harms and reduce exposure to high-risk content, while critics warn it may cut young people off from supportive online spaces.

Reddit’s compliance resolves uncertainty for its Australian user base but highlights broader questions about the practicality of large-scale age-verification systems.

The effectiveness of the automated age-prediction model, the accuracy of appeals, and the likelihood that under-sixteen users will attempt to bypass restrictions all remain open issues as enforcement begins.