UK fines Reddit for not checking user ages aggressively enough
A UK regulator today fined Reddit 14.5 million ($19.6 million) for not verifying the ages of users. The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) alleged that the failure to check ages resulted in Reddit illegally using children's personal information.
"Our investigation found that Reddit failed to apply any robust age assurance mechanism and therefore did not have a lawful basis for processing the personal information of children under the age of 13... These failures meant Reddit was using children's data unlawfully, potentially exposing them to inappropriate and harmful content," an ICO press release said.
The ICO findings are based on Reddit's actions prior to its July 2025 rollout of a system that verifies UK users' ages before letting them view adult content. But the ICO said it is still concerned about Reddit's post-July 2025 system because the company relies on users to declare their ages when opening an account.