Reddit argued before Australia's High Court on Tuesday that the country's ban on social media for under-16s should be struck down, BBC News reports. A digital rights group called the Digital Freedom Project is also challenging the law.

Reddit's lawyer, Perry Herzfeld SC, said the ban limits a freedom of political speech that is implied in Australia's constitution, the Guardian reports. He said the law was passed within a week, with only 24 hours allowed for public submissions.

"A process of this kind is likely to lead to ill-thought-out, over-broad legislation," Herzfeld argued, according to the Guardian.

Teens can still read posts on sites like Reddit without an account, Reddit argued. But they cannot post, comment or upvote. Justice Jacqueline Gleeson said the "vast majority of teens the vast majority of time" do not engage in politics while under 16, the Guardian reports.

Government lawyer Joanna Davidson SC began setting out why the government thinks social media harms children, the BBC reports. She said features meant to keep people on the sites are "broadly shared" across all 10 covered sites, the Guardian reports. That includes Reddit, she said. She will continue on Wednesday.

Outside the court, Communications Minister Anika Wells defended the law. "We are here to defend a fundamental tenet of Australian democracy, which is an Australian's right, and particularly an Australian child's right, to be free from harm," she said, the BBC reports.

The ban began last December. Since then, more than 5 million accounts thought to belong to under-16s have been suspended or shut down, the Guardian reports. Platforms face fines of up to A$99m for serious or repeated breaches, but none has been fined so far, the BBC says.