The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has penalized Reddit for unlawfully using children’s personal information, citing failures to properly check users’ ages and exposing minors to risk. The action, announced in the UK, builds on recent enforcement against MediaLab and signals a broader push to tighten protection of young users’ data across social platforms.
According to the regulator, Reddit did not put effective age checks in place, allowing under-13s and other minors to access services where their data could be collected and used. The ICO framed the penalty as part of an ongoing intervention to raise standards for how children’s information is handled online.
“ICO investigation found Reddit, Inc. used children’s personal information unlawfully.”
“Reddit’s failings included not checking the age of users accessing its platform, putting children at risk.”
“Penalty follows MediaLab fine and is part of a wider ICO intervention to improve the safety of children’s personal information online.”
What the Regulator Found
The ICO said Reddit lacked adequate age assurance, a basic requirement when services are likely to be used by children. Without reliable checks, platforms can collect data from minors without proper safeguards. That includes browsing history, device identifiers, and details inferred from behavior, which may then feed recommendations or targeted content.
Regulators argue that such gaps increase the exposure of children to tracking, profiling, and unwanted contact. The ICO’s action indicates that self-declared ages and simple checkboxes are no longer viewed as enough for high-risk services. Platforms are expected to show that their measures actually keep underage users out or protect them by design.
The Rules Behind the Decision
The UK’s data law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018) requires services to process children’s data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. Since 2021, the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code—also known as the Children’s Code—has set standards for sites likely to be accessed by under-18s. It calls for privacy-by-default, limits on profiling, and meaningful age checks.
The watchdog has stepped up enforcement under this code. In 2023, it fined TikTok for allowing under-13s to use the platform and for improper data use. The new penalty against Reddit follows action against MediaLab and continues a pattern of targeting platforms that reach large youth audiences.
- Age checks should be proportionate to risk.
- Default settings should offer high privacy for minors.
- Data collection must be limited and clearly explained.
Industry Impact and Safety Concerns
The case reflects growing pressure on social platforms to verify ages without collecting excessive new data. Age assurance can include risk-based checks such as analyzing user signals, using trusted third-party tools, or offering teen-specific experiences with stricter defaults.
Child-safety advocates warn that weak checks can allow data on minors to fuel recommendation systems. That can push sensitive or age-inappropriate content. Privacy groups also worry about profiles built from long trails of engagement data, which can follow a user into adulthood.
Some companies argue that stronger checks may introduce friction, raise privacy trade-offs, or risk false positives that lock out legitimate users. Regulators counter that platforms must design for the best interests of the child and show evidence that protections work in practice.
Comparisons and What Changes May Follow
The ICO has encouraged companies to adopt layered safeguards: limit data collection, restrict personalized ads for teens, and keep safety features on by default. Many large services have already shifted toward teen privacy modes, disabled direct messaging between adults and minors, and reduced profiling for young users.
Reddit, which relies on community-driven content and pseudonymous accounts, faces particular challenges in verifying ages at scale. The decision suggests the ICO expects a more reliable approach that does not depend solely on self-reporting. Similar cases have pushed firms to add teen accounts by default to more private settings and to separate data practices for minors from those for adults.
What Comes Next
Reddit can seek to cooperate with the ICO, appeal, or both, depending on the specifics of the enforcement outcome. The company may need to present a clearer age assurance plan and show how its data practices for minors meet legal standards. The ICO’s wider intervention signals more audits and potential penalties for firms that lag on child data protections.
For families, the case is a reminder to review platform settings and discuss privacy and safety with young users. For industry, it sets a clearer bar: if a service is likely used by children, data practices must reflect that from the start.
The penalty marks another step in the UK’s push to safeguard children’s data and reshape how social platforms operate. The next few months will show whether Reddit and peers implement stronger checks, limit profiling, and redesign features to reduce risk for minors—moves regulators say are no longer optional.
Deanna Ritchie is a managing editor at DevX. She has a degree in English Literature. She has written 2000+ articles on getting out of debt and mastering your finances. She has edited over 60,000 articles in her life. She has a passion for helping writers inspire others through their words. Deanna has also been an editor at Entrepreneur Magazine and ReadWrite.
