Reddit fined £14m for 'concerning' child age check failings

Source: BBC Technology

ICO fine and Reddit’s response

Reddit has been fined £14.47 million by the UK’s data watchdog for unlawfully using children’s personal information. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the platform failed to properly check the age of its users, putting children on Reddit at risk of exposure to inappropriate and harmful content online.

“It’s concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty to protect the personal information of UK children,” said John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner.

In a statement, Reddit said it didn’t require users to share information about their identities, regardless of age, because we are deeply committed to their privacy and safety. However, the ICO noted that Reddit relied on users declaring their age when opening an account—a method the regulator described as “easy to bypass”.

The regulator added that companies operating online services likely to be accessed by children have a responsibility to protect them, including ensuring that the way data is collected and used does not expose them to risk.

“To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age‑assurance measures in place,” said Edwards.
”Reddit failed to meet these expectations.”

Although Reddit’s terms of service state that under‑13s are not allowed on the site, the ICO estimated that “there were a large number of children under 13 on the platform”. Consequently, the platform processed children’s data without a lawful basis.

Under UK law, companies must take extra care when collecting data belonging to child users because they may be less aware of the risks associated with platforms collecting and using that data. The ICO said Reddit “must do better” and is continuing to consider the age‑assurance controls it has implemented.

A Reddit spokesperson responded:

“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 indicated it intends to appeal the decision.

Growth and scrutiny

Reddit has seen a surge in growth in the UK in recent years, with Ofcom ranking it as the 12th most visited site overall and the fourth most visited social‑media platform in the UK in 2025.

When Online Safety Act (OSA) age‑verification requirements took effect in July 2025, the platform limited the ability of users who had not verified their age to view parts of its services, including certain user profiles and subreddits containing adult material.

The ICO said it will continue to work closely with Ofcom, which enforces the OSA, to coordinate efforts to protect children and their data online. Ofcom has recently fined several providers of porn sites for lacking proper age checks to stop children accessing adult material.

Social‑media expert Matt Navarra told the BBC that both organisations’ recent actions demonstrate “the UK’s two regulator pincer movement coming into force”.

“You’ve got the ICO pushing children’s data and design expectations, and, in parallel, the UK’s wider online‑safety laws pushing the industry towards real age assurance as a baseline,” he said.

Navarra added that the Reddit fine also marked a turning point in how the platform is viewed and scrutinised by regulators.

“Reddit is being treated less like a quirky forum site and more like what it is—a social platform with major platform responsibilities.”