Reddit has introduced an age verification feature on its UK site, effective Monday, July 14, 2025, to restrict underage users from searching for "mature" content. This Act complies with the UK's new Online Safety Act.
The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online. Under this, social media companies are obliged to make the platforms a safer place for young audiences.
Following these guidelines, Reddit will not go through robust age-checking techniques. It will utilize a third-party company called "Persona" to perform the age verification process, which involves users uploading a selfie or a photo of their government-issued ID, such as a passport.
How age verification will work
Reddit stated that it will not be able to access the photos that must be submitted to verify user privacy. Instead, it will merely store the verification status of the users and their date of birth, allowing the user to bypass the re-verification process whenever they desire to watch restricted content. Persona will not gain access to a user's data on Reddit and will delete the photos within seven days. The UK's telecommunications regulator is enforcing the new law and expects other companies to follow suit.
Penalties for non-compliance
Other major adult websites have also confirmed that they will adhere to the new age verification rules to improve age checks on their sites. Social media sites that fail to comply with the Online Safety Act will face severe consequences, including fines up to £18 million or 10% of their worldwide revenue. In the worst cases, a court order can be sought to block the social media site completely or to ask advertisers and payment providers to withdraw their services.
