UK fines Reddit £14.5m for failing to protect children's data
Britain's Information Commissioner's Office fined Reddit £14.5m ($19.52m) for collecting and using children's personal data unlawfully and failing to verify ages of underage users. The platform had no effective age checks until July 2025 despite terms of service prohibiting under-13s, and had not completed required data protection assessments before January 2025.
What happened
The UK Information Commissioner's Office said Reddit failed to check children's ages properly and did not complete a required data protection impact assessment for children before January 2025.
Although Reddit prohibits children under 13 from using its platform, it did not have any measures in place to check users' ages until July 2025.
Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to or control, potentially exposing them to inappropriate and harmful content.
Reported impact
A large number of under-13s were estimated to be using the platform with no age verification in place.
The exposure to inappropriate and harmful content that children could not avoid due to the lack of age verification and safeguards.
Governance controls
The ICO said it will keep Reddit's age assurance measures under review as part of its broader policy of monitoring companies that rely on users to self-declare their age.
Reddit said it does not require users to share information about their identities because it is deeply committed to their privacy and safety, and said it would appeal the decision.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.