LONDON, Feb 24 (GeokHub) – Britain’s data protection regulator has fined Reddit £14.47 million ($19.52 million) for unlawfully processing children’s personal data and potentially exposing minors to harmful content.
The penalty was issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which said the platform failed to properly verify user ages, despite prohibiting children under 13 from using its services.
Age Verification Failures
According to the regulator, Reddit did not implement effective age checks until July 2025. As a result, the ICO estimated that a significant number of under-13 users were active on the platform without appropriate safeguards in place.
The watchdog said children’s personal information was collected and processed without valid consent, leaving them vulnerable to content not suitable for their age group. It also found that Reddit had not completed a required data protection impact assessment covering the handling of children’s data before January 2025, even though teenagers aged 13 to 18 were permitted on the platform.
UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said minors had their data used in ways they were unlikely to understand or control.
Reddit Plans to Appeal
Reddit said it intends to appeal the decision. The company stated that it does not require users to disclose identity details and argued that collecting additional personal information from all UK users would conflict with its privacy-focused principles.
The dispute highlights growing tensions between privacy regulators and social media companies over age verification standards and youth protections online.
