Reddit has introduced an age verification feature in the UK to comply with the latest rule as a way to prevent children from accessing harmful content.
The recent requirement comes after the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) introduced a few precautionary measures for platforms to block children from encountering inappropriate content.
Reddit will use the third-party service Persona to confirm a user’s age, requiring users to submit either their selfie or an image of their government-issued identity documents.
However, the platform stated that it will not access these pictures and will only save an individual’s verification status and their date of birth.
Restricted content will remain hidden from users under 18, which includes self-harm posts, disordered eating, and posts that spread hate against other individuals’ based on their religion, sex, disability, and more.
Critics have warned of the security and privacy risks linked with private firms gathering and storing large amounts of individual's identity documents.
Last week, Bluesky revealed that users in the UK will be needed to verify their age in light of OSA’s update.
