Reddit has been fined £14.47m by the UK’s data regulator for unlawfully processing children’s personal information.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the platform failed to put adequate age checks in place, leaving children at risk of exposure to inappropriate and harmful content.
“It’s concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty to protect the personal information of UK children,” said UK Information Commissioner John Edwards.
Reddit said in response that it “didn’t require users to share information about their identities, regardless of age, because we are deeply committed to their privacy and safety.”
Age checks and legal duties
In July 2025, Reddit introduced age verification measures to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). However, the ICO said the company had previously relied on self-declaration when users opened accounts — a method it described as “easy to bypass”.
The regulator said online services likely to be accessed by children must ensure their data collection and usage practices do not expose young users to harm.
“To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age assurance measures in place,” Edwards said. “Reddit failed to meet these expectations.”
The ICO began investigating Reddit in March last year, alongside TikTok and Imgur, over concerns about their handling of children’s data.
Although Reddit’s terms of service prohibit under-13s from using the platform, the ICO said company estimates indicated “there were a large number of children under 13 on the platform”. As a result, the regulator concluded Reddit had processed children’s data without a lawful basis.
Under UK data protection law, organisations must apply heightened safeguards when handling children’s information, recognising that young users may be less aware of privacy risks.
The ICO said Reddit “must do better” and added it was continuing to assess the age assurance measures the company has since introduced.
A Reddit spokesperson criticised the regulator’s stance, saying: “The ICO’s insistence that we collect more private information on every UK user is counterintuitive and at odds with our strong belief in our users’ online privacy and safety.” The company confirmed it intends to appeal the decision.
Growth and increased scrutiny
Reddit has experienced significant growth in the UK in recent years. Media regulator Ofcom ranked it as the 12th most visited website overall and the fourth most visited social media platform in the UK in 2025.
When OSA age-verification requirements came into force in July 2025, Reddit restricted access for unverified users to certain areas of the platform, including some profiles and subreddits containing adult material.
The ICO said it would continue working closely with Ofcom, which is responsible for enforcing the Online Safety Act, to coordinate efforts aimed at strengthening online protections for children and safeguarding their data.
