UK data watchdog fines Reddit £14m for failing to protect child users
Online discussion platform Reddit has been fined more than £14 million after the UK data watchdog said it had failed to protect children’s personal information.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the failings meant children had potentially been exposed to inappropriate and harmful content. The watchdog’s investigation found that Reddit had failed to check the age of users on its platform, which it said put children at risk. The £14.47 million penalty is the largest fine the ICO has ever issued in relation to children’s privacy. Reddit said it intends to appeal against the fine. The ICO said the platform did not apply any “robust age assurance mechanism and therefore did not have a lawful basis for processing the personal information of children under the age of 13”. The watchdog warned Reddit that relying on users to declare their age had posed risks to children “as it is easy to bypass”. Reddit describes itself as “the heart of the internet” and says it is “home to thousands of communities, endless conversation, and authentic human connection”. The website, which features various forums and threads on different discussion topics, states that “millions of people around the world” use its online communities daily. The ICO said that despite the fact the platform’s terms of service prohibited children under 13 using it, there were no measures in place to check the age of users until July 2025. The watchdog said its own estimates indicated there were “a large number” of children under 13 on the platform and Reddit did not have a lawful basis for processing their personal information. It also said Reddit failed to undertake a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) to assess and reduce risks to children before January 2025, despite the fact children over the age of 13 were allowed to use the platform. The ICO said it estimated that in 2024, approximately 537,000 children visited the Reddit platform in the UK, with around 226,000 of these being under 13. The penalty amount was decided based on the number of children affected, the degree of potential harm caused, the length of time during which the failings continued, and Reddit’s global turnover. In 2025, Reddit had turnover of 2.2 billion US dollars, up 69% on the previous year. UK information commissioner John Edwards said: “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. “Let me be clear. Companies operating online services likely to be accessed by children have a responsibility to protect those children by ensuring they’re not exposed to risks through the way their data is used. “To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age assurance measures in place. “Reddit failed to meet these expectations. “They must do better and we are continuing to consider the age assurance controls now implemented by the platform. “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.” Reddit said that external market research suggests the vast majority of Reddit users in the UK are adults, and that globally Reddit prohibits and removes users under the age of 13. A spokesperson for the firm said: “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.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub