London, United Kingdom. Britain’s privacy watchdog has fined social media platform Reddit 14.47 million pounds for unlawfully using children’s data and potentially exposing them to harmful content. Reddit said it will appeal the decision.
ICO findings on age checks and data processing
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Reddit did not check children’s ages properly and therefore had no right to process their data.
The watchdog said that although Reddit’s terms of service prohibited children under 13 from using its platform, effective age checks were not in place until July 2025. The ICO estimated a large number of under-13s were using the platform.
“Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to or control,” UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a statement.
“That left them potentially exposed to content they should not have seen,” Edwards said.
Impact assessment and protections for teenage users
The ICO also said Reddit had not carried out a data protection impact assessment before January 2025 covering the use of children’s personal information, even though the platform allows users aged between 13 and 18.
Broader policy backdrop and Reddit response
The action comes as Britain considers tighter limits on children’s use of social media, with governments worldwide citing concerns about mental-health risks, cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content to justify new age restrictions and bans.
Reddit said in an emailed statement it would appeal the ICO’s 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 U.S.-based social media firm said.
“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.”
How should social media platforms balance age verification with user privacy and safety?
