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Reddit has faced a penalty exceeding £14 million (€16 million) from the UK’s data protection authority, which claims the social media company did not adequately safeguard minors, allowing them to be exposed to “inappropriate and damaging material.”

After conducting an inquiry, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) determined that the American company failed to put in place effective age-check systems. Reddit has stated to Next that it plans to challenge the ruling.

Alternatively, Reddit primarily used “self-disclosure”—letting users declare their age without additional verification—a approach that the oversight body finds inadequate for safeguarding minors.

The Information Commissioner’s Office stated that Reddit may have exposed minors to “inappropriate and harmful material.”

The decision also signifies a major implementation of the UK’s data protection regulations.

As per the ICO, Reddit’s absence of supervision led to minors under 13 having their personal information collected without proper consent.

“Children under 13 had their personal data gathered and utilized in ways they couldn’t comprehend, agree to, or manage,” stated John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner.

This could have exposed them to material they should not have encountered. This is not acceptable.

The penalty acts as a cautionary message to other social media platforms functioning within the UK. Edwards mentioned that the regulatory body is now particularly focusing on companies that use the honor system for verifying ages.

Dependence on users to self-report their age is insufficient when children could be in danger,” Edwards stated. “I strongly urge the industry to pay attention, consider their procedures, and quickly implement any required changes.

Reddit stated to Next that the platform “does not ask users to provide details about their identities, irrespective of age, as we are strongly dedicated to their privacy and security.”

“The ICO’s insistence on gathering additional private details from each UK user is contrary to our commitment to protecting users’ online privacy and security,” it stated.