Tue, 24 Feb 2026

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 Reddit fined £14m for 'concerning' child age check failings

The UK's data watchdog said the failings meant children could be exposed to harmful material online.

* Reddit fined £14.47m by UK's data watchdog (ICO) for unlawfully using children's personal information.
* Platform failed to properly check users' ages, putting kids at risk of exposure to inappropriate content online.
* ICO says companies operating online services must protect children and ensure they know their age and have measures in place to prevent harm.
* Reddit relied on self-declared ages when opening an account, which was "easy to bypass".
* Platform started verifying user ages in July 2025 to comply with Online Safety Act (OSA), but ICO says it will continue to monitor the situation.
* ICO first investigated Reddit last March over concerns about its use of children's data.
* Under UK law, companies must take extra care when collecting data from child users.
* Reddit intends to appeal the decision.
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