Reddit introduces age verification in the UK

In the UK, the Online Safety Act was passed in 2023, and providers are now required to assess the potential harm caused by their services. In line with the enforcement of part of the Online Safety Act at the end of July 2025, Reddit , a message board-style social media platform, announced that it has begun to verify users' ages before viewing 'certain adult content.'

Verifying the age (but not the identity) of UK redditors : r/RedditSafety
https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditSafety/comments/1lzt65t/verifying_the_age_but_not_the_identity_of_uk/

Reddit's UK users must now prove they're 18 to view adult content - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/reddit-starts-verifying-ages-of-uk-users-to-comply-with-child-safety-law/

The Online Safety Act imposes new safety obligations around dangerous apps and sites that may host harmful information, requiring online platforms to take specific steps to reduce the risks to children from harmful content.

On July 15, 2025, Reddit announced in the subreddit 'r/Reddit Safety' that it would 'verify the age of UK Reddit users (without verifying their identity).' The post stated that while it 'has the philosophy that personal information is not required for discussion,' it would begin collecting and verifying ages before viewing certain adult content in order to comply with online safety laws.

Reddit has listed the types of content that require age verification below. Content that is restricted for minors includes sexually explicit material, suicide and self-harm content, racial and religious hate speech, bullying and violent content.

UK Online Safety Act: Information for UK users – Reddit Help

Reddit's age verification is done by a third-party provider, ' Persona '. You do not need to re-authenticate every time you access restricted content, and your authentication status is stored on Reddit. However, Reddit does not have access to personal information such as uploaded photos, and only refers to the entered date of birth and the verification status from Persona, so there is no need to worry about your personal information being stored on Reddit.

In addition, Persona has clarified the privacy protection of the data used for age verification, saying, 'Persona promises not to retain photos for more than seven days and does not access Reddit data, such as the subreddits you have visited.' The entered and verified date of birth will never be made public to other users or advertisers, and will only be used to support Reddit's safety features and age-appropriate experiences.

In addition, Reddit states that age verification and authentication may be required in regions other than the UK as laws are enacted or changed. In line with the mandatory age verification in the UK, an option to enter your date of birth will be introduced for users worldwide, but this is a voluntary option that is not mandatory and is intended to optimize the content and advertising experience.

At the end of the post, Reddit reiterated its commitment to protecting personal information, stating, 'Reddit has never required you to reveal your real-world identity. This update does not change that.'

UK regulator Ofcom issued a media statement following Reddit's announcement, noting that the compliance deadline was July 25th, saying: 'From now on, children will be better protected from inappropriate online content, while adults will maintain access to lawful content. We expect other companies to follow suit or face penalties from law enforcement.'