Reddit has introduced a mandatory age verification system for its users in the United Kingdom, following the recent updates to the country’s Online Safety Act (OSA). The move aims to prevent underage users from accessing harmful content on the platform, aligning Reddit with new regulatory obligations designed to protect children online.
As part of the verification process, Reddit will employ Persona, a third-party provider, to confirm the age of its users. Individuals attempting to access Reddit in the UK will now need to provide either a selfie or an image of a government-issued identification document. According to Reddit, the platform itself will not retain copies of these images. Instead, only the user’s verified status and date of birth will be stored.
The verification requirement is intended to restrict access to sensitive and potentially harmful content for users under 18. This includes posts with sexually explicit material, content encouraging suicide or disordered eating, and any material promoting hate based on personal attributes such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Broader categories of violent and harmful content will also be restricted.
The changes respond to the UK government’s push for stronger online safeguards for minors. Under the OSA, online platforms are now legally required to implement systems that effectively prevent children from encountering certain types of content.
However, the new verification measures have raised concerns from privacy advocates. Critics argue that requiring users to share identity documentation with third-party services could introduce security and data privacy risks, particularly if such sensitive data were to be compromised.
Reddit’s update follows similar action from other platforms, including Bluesky, which recently announced parallel age verification requirements for UK users to comply with the same legislation.
