Reddit Fined $20M by UK Over Child Safety Failures

British data regulator says Reddit failed to protect children's personal information on its platform.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The United Kingdom's Information Commissioner's Office has fined Reddit nearly $20 million for failures involving children's personal information on the platform. The regulator said children under 13 had their data collected and used in ways they could not understand or control, potentially exposing them to inappropriate content.

Why it matters

The UK's data privacy watchdog has been increasing scrutiny of online platforms over child safety, issuing fines to other major tech companies like Imgur's parent MediaLab. This fine against Reddit highlights the growing regulatory focus on ensuring platforms have robust age verification measures to protect minors.

The details

The ICO said Reddit did not have any way to check the ages of its users before July 2025, even though the platform doesn't allow children under 13. The regulator took issue with Reddit's reliance on 'self-declaration' of age, which is easy to bypass. Reddit has said it will appeal the decision, arguing it is 'deeply committed' to user privacy and safety.

  • The ICO issued the £14.5 million ($19.5 million) fine on February 24, 2026.
  • Reddit rolled out age verification measures in July 2025 to access mature content.

The players

Information Commissioner's Office

The UK's data privacy regulator that issued the fine against Reddit.

Reddit

The online forum platform that was fined by the ICO for failures in protecting children's personal information.

John Edwards

The Information Commissioner who said Reddit's failures left children 'potentially exposed to content they should not have seen.'

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What’s next

The ICO said it will continue to monitor Reddit's handling of children's data after the fine.

The takeaway

This fine highlights the growing regulatory scrutiny on online platforms to implement robust age verification measures and protect minors from accessing inappropriate content or having their personal data misused, even if the platforms claim to prioritize user privacy.