The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed a fine of £14.47 million (exceeding $19.5 million) on Reddit. This penalty stems from the platform’s collection and utilization of personal data from children under 13 without sufficient protective measures.
According to an ICO press release, Reddit did not implement an effective age-verification system on its platform until July 2025. This occurred despite the company’s own terms of service prohibiting users under the age of 13.
The data protection authority further estimates that a considerable number of underage children were using the social media platform prior to July 2025. Reddit reportedly processed their data without a lawful basis, potentially exposing them to inappropriate content.
In July 2025, Reddit introduced age assurance measures, which included an age verification system for mature content and a self-declaration prompt for new accounts. However, the ICO criticized these measures, stating they did not meet UK data protection standards and could be easily bypassed by children.
“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.
Edwards further emphasized that “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.”
A Reddit spokesperson informed BleepingComputer that the company plans to appeal the ICO’s decision. The spokesperson also stated that “according to external market research, the vast majority of Reddit users in the UK are adults.”
The spokesperson added, “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.”
Reddit reports having 121 million daily active users and over 471 million weekly active users, distributed across more than 100,000 active communities.
This penalty follows a similar fine issued on February 5 against MediaLab, the owner of the image-sharing platform Imgur, also related to children’s privacy failures.
