Reddit fined more than £14m over children's privacy failures

Reddit has been fined more than £14m by the Information Commissioner's Office for failing to keep children safe.

It is the largest fine ever handed out by the information watchdog over children's privacy issues.

An investigation by the data protection watchdog found the US company used children's information unlawfully.

A statement from the ICO said Reddit's failings included not checking the age of users accessing its platform, putting youngsters at risk.

It said Reddit failed to:

• Apply any robust age assurance mechanism and therefore did not have a lawful basis for processing the personal information of children under the age of 13.

• Carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) to assess and mitigate risks to children before January 2025.

John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner, said: "It's concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty to protect the personal information of UK children.

"Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to or control. That left them potentially exposed to content they should not have seen. This is unacceptable and has resulted in today's fine.

"Let me be clear. Companies operating online services likely to be accessed by children have a responsibility to protect those children by ensuring they're not exposed to risks through the way their data is used. To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age assurance measures in place.

"Reddit failed to meet these expectations. They must do better and we are continuing to consider the age assurance controls now implemented by the platform.

"Relying on users to declare their age themselves is not enough when children may be at risk and we are focusing now on companies that are primarily using this method. I therefore strongly encourage industry to take note, reflect on their practices and urgently make any necessary improvements to their platforms."

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Reddit told Sky News it intends to 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," said a Reddit spokesperson.

"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."

Earlier this month, Imgur owner MediaLab was handed a £250,000 fine for similar issues.

In 2023, TikTok ended up with a £12.7m fine after negotiating the ICO down from a £27m penalty.

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(c) Sky News 2026: Reddit fined more than £14m over children's privacy failures