Reddit will follow Australia’s upcoming rule banning social media use for under-16s from Wednesday. The company says the law is "legally erroneous" and "arbitrary". It told the eSafety commissioner Reddit is mainly an information-sharing platform, not a social media site like others. New Australian users must give their birth date when signing up. Existing users will go through an age-check system using a new privacy-focused tool. Reddit said, "We’ll start predicting whether users in Australia may be under 16 and will ask them to verify they’re old enough to use Reddit." If a user is predicted to be under 16, they can appeal and prove their age. Reddit sent a letter in September explaining to the eSafety commissioner that the platform focuses on sharing knowledge in topic-based communities. It said, "It is not in keeping with Reddit norms for users to use their real names or identities on Reddit, as communities are not centred around real-time social networking among young people." Reddit stressed it collects minimal personal data to keep users anonymous. The company highlighted subreddits like r/BabyBumpsandBeyondAu and r/AusSkincare as examples where Australians seek advice and information. It also mentioned sensitive topic forums such as r/stopdrinking to show Reddit’s role as a knowledge hub. The Australian Financial Review reported Reddit may take legal action against the ban, though Reddit had not confirmed this. After Reddit’s announcement, only X among the platforms targeted by eSafety has not said if it will comply. X allows anyone over 13 to sign up but has not commented on the ban.