Reddit Fined for Misuse of Children's Personal Data
Reddit has been fined £14.47 million by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for unlawfully processing children's personal information. The ICO determined that Reddit did not adequately verify the ages of its users, thereby exposing children to potentially 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 response, Reddit stated 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."
In July 2025, Reddit began implementing age verification measures to comply with the Online Safety Act (OSA). However, the ICO criticized the platform for relying primarily on users self-declaring their age when creating accounts, a method described as "easy to bypass."
The regulator emphasized that companies providing online services accessible to children have a responsibility to protect them. This includes ensuring that the collection and use of children's data do not expose them to risks.
"To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age assurance measures in place,"Mr Edwards added.
"Reddit failed to meet these expectations."
The ICO further stated that Reddit "must do better" and noted that it is continuing to evaluate the age assurance controls the platform has since implemented.
A Reddit spokesperson commented,
"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 also indicated its intention to appeal the ICO's decision.
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