UK fines Reddit $19 million for using children’s data unlawfully

Source: Bleeping Computer

Fine details

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Reddit £14.47 million (over $19.5 million) for collecting and using the personal information of children under 13 without adequate safeguards.

• The ICO notes that Reddit’s own terms of service prohibited users under 13, yet the platform lacked a meaningful age‑verification system until July 2025.
• The regulator estimates that a significant number of under‑age children were using Reddit before that date, and their data was processed without a lawful basis, potentially exposing them to harmful content.

ICO’s criticism

In July 2025 Reddit introduced age‑assurance measures, including:

1. An age verification system for accessing mature content.
2. A self‑declaration prompt for new accounts.

The ICO criticized these measures for failing to meet UK data‑protection standards, noting that children can easily bypass them.

“It’s concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty to protect the personal information of UK children. Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to or control. That left them potentially exposed to content they should not have seen. This is unacceptable and has resulted in today’s fine,” said UK Information Commissioner John Edwards.
“Relying on users to declare their age themselves is not enough when children may be at risk and we are focusing now on companies that are primarily using this method. I therefore strongly encourage industry to take note, reflect on their practices and urgently make any necessary improvements to their platforms.”

Reddit’s response

A Reddit spokesperson told BleepingComputer that the company will appeal the ICO’s decision and highlighted the following points:

“According to external market research, the vast majority of Reddit users in the UK are adults.”

“Reddit doesn’t require users to share information about their identities, regardless of age, because we are deeply committed to their privacy and safety. 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. We intend to appeal the ICO’s decision.”

Platform scale

• 121 million daily active users.
• 471 million weekly active users.
• Over 100 000 active communities.

Related enforcement action

This fine follows a similar penalty issued on February 5 against MediaLab, the owner of the image‑sharing platform Imgur, for children’s privacy failures. Details can be found in the ICO announcement: MediaLab penalty details.