Reddit Cranks Up Safety Rules to Meet — and Beat — Australia's Law
RedditReddit(US:RDDT) CNET·2025-12-09 21:01

Core Points - Reddit is implementing age verification measures to comply with new Australian laws that restrict access to users under 16 years old [1][4] - The company is also modifying the app for users under 18 globally, limiting access to NSFW and mature content, and disabling ad personalization [2][6] - Reddit criticizes the Australian legislation as arbitrary and a limitation on free expression, while acknowledging the trend of age verification laws worldwide [3] Group 1: Compliance Measures - Reddit will verify that new and existing account holders in Australia are at least 16 years old [1] - An age prediction model will be used to assess user age, requiring proof of age through government ID or selfies if under 16 [4] - Accounts determined to be under 16 will be suspended [4] Group 2: Data Handling and Privacy - Reddit will securely store age information but not the verification documents or photos [5] - Age information will not be visible to advertisers and will only be used to enhance content relevance [5] Group 3: Platform Safety Enhancements - For users under 18, ad personalization will be disabled, and sensitive ads related to alcohol and gambling will not be shown [6] - Users under 18 will not be allowed to moderate NSFW or mature content communities [6]

Reddit Cranks Up Safety Rules to Meet — and Beat — Australia's Law - Reportify