Reddit has started requiring users in the United Kingdom to verify their age before they can access certain mature content.
This change comes as the company works to follow new rules under the UK’s Online Safety Act, which takes full effect on July 25. The law requires online platforms to protect minors from harmful or inappropriate content, such as violent, sexual, or abusive material.
To complete the age check, users must upload a government-issued ID or take a selfie. The process is handled by a third-party service called Persona, which will delete the uploaded photos within seven days. Reddit says it won’t see or store the images and will only save a user’s birthdate and verification status so they don’t have to repeat the process.
While Reddit has always allowed anonymous participation, the company says this step is necessary in certain cases to meet safety and legal standards. According to Reddit, the platform still values user privacy and will continue avoiding unnecessary personal data collection.
The company is also encouraging users to add their birthdate voluntarily, which will help it provide age-appropriate content and advertising. It has been hinted that similar age verification systems may roll out in other countries in the future, as more governments consider laws like the UK’s.
Reddit also noted that some types of restricted content could be considered subjective, such as posts that romanticize depression or hopelessness. The company says it is working to meet regulatory expectations while balancing users’ rights to access legal content.
In addition, Reddit hinted that this new age-check process may help identify whether users are real people or bots. The platform said it plans to share more details soon about how it will handle AI-generated accounts as part of its future safety efforts.
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According to UK communications regulator Ofcom, Reddit was the fastest-growing major social media platform in the country last year, with a 47% year-on-year increase in adult users. Ofcom praised the new rules, saying they will better protect children online without limiting adults’ access to legal content. Other platforms are expected to follow or face regulatory action.
