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Reddit has been fined more than £14 million (€16 million) by the UK’s information watchdog, accusing the social media giant of failing to protect children and leaving them vulnerable to “inappropriate and harmful content”.
Following an investigation, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found that the American company neglected to implement robust age-verification tools. Reddit told Euronews Next that it intends to appeal the decision.
Instead, Reddit relied heavily on “self-declaration”—allowing users to simply state their age without further proof—a method the watchdog deems insufficient for protecting children.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said that Reddit potentially exposed children to “inappropriate and harmful content”.
The ruling marks a significant enforcement of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which mandates that digital platforms proactively shield children from harmful material. According to the ICO, Reddit’s lack of oversight meant that children under the age of 13 were having their personal data harvested without informed consent.
“Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to or control,” said John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner.
“That left them potentially exposed to content they should not have seen. This is unacceptable.”
The fine serves as a warning for other social media platforms operating in the UK. Edwards noted that the regulator is now specifically targeting companies that rely on the honour system for age checks.
“Relying on users to declare their age themselves is not enough when children may be at risk,” Edwards added. “I strongly encourage industry to take note, reflect on their practices, and urgently make any necessary improvements.”
Reddit told Euronews Next in a statement that the platform “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,” it said.