Reddit Installs Age Verification in the UK to Comply with New Regulations

Users in the United Kingdom on Reddit are now required to confirm their age to restrict minors from encountering inappropriate content.

This regulation comes in light of the U.K.’s Online Safety Act (OSA), which compels platforms to implement measures that protect children from harmful content, including pornography and material that encourages self-harm.

For age verification, Reddit will partner with the third-party service Persona, asking users to submit a photo of their government-issued ID or take a selfie. Reddit assures users that it will not have access to these images and will only store the user’s verification status and date of birth.

Users under 18 will face restrictions on content such as sexually explicit materials, posts that promote suicide or eating disorders, as well as any material that spreads hate based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or gender, alongside other violent and harmful content.

Critics have raised ongoing concerns regarding the security and privacy risks associated with private companies collecting and storing significant amounts of individuals’ identification documents.

Recently, Bluesky announced that U.K. users will also need to verify their age in response to the updates in the OSA.