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“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," said Information Commissioner John Edwards. “This is
unacceptable and has resulted in today’s fine.”
The U.K. privacy regulator has been escalating scrutiny of
online platforms over child safety. Earlier this month it hit
MediaLab, owner of image-sharing site Imgur, with a 247,590
pound fine over similar failures and it has also been
investigating TikTok since last year.
The watchdog took issue with Reddit's age verification measures.
It said that even though the platform doesn't allow children
under 13 to use its service, it didn't have any way to check the
ages of its users before July 2025.
Edwards said online platforms that are likely to be accessed by
children are responsible for protecting them by making sure
they’re not exposed to any risks “through the way their data is
used.” They can do this with “effective age assurance measures,"
he said.
Reddit rolled out age verification measures in July 2025 in
order for users to access mature content, including asking them
to declare their age when setting up an account.
But the watchdog said “self-declaration” is easy to bypass and
that it told Reddit it would continue to monitor the platform's
handling of children's data.
Reddit said it would appeal the decision.
“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 company said in a statement.
“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.”
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