UK Fines Reddit and MediaLab Over Escalating Children’s Privacy Violations

The ICO’s aggressive stance signals that platforms can no longer rely on passive age gates or age-disclaimer text. By targeting mainstream social and media-sharing apps not specifically designed for children, the regulator is forcing a industry-wide pivot toward tech-based age estimation and digital ID verification. This alignment between the ICO and Ofcom under the Online Safety Act creates a 'double jeopardy' regulatory environment where firms face fines for both data privacy breaches and safety failures. Streaming and social platforms should expect increased scrutiny of their risk assessments and parental consent workflows. Watch for Reddit’s appeal at the First-tier Tribunal to test the ICO’s 'likely to be accessed' definition.

The ICO’s enforcement action reflects a broader international shift toward restrictive youth safety policies. In early 2026, the ICO and Ofcom issued a joint statement clarifying that 'highly effective age assurance' is now required for services where children might encounter harmful content, as reported by Global Policy Watch in March 2026. This co-ordinated approach ensures platforms cannot prioritize safety at the expense of privacy or vice versa. The UK's Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 further strengthens this by embedding child-centric 'higher protection matters' directly into Article 25 of the UK GDPR.

Comparable pressure is mounting across Europe and beyond. Per the Guardian, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta’s Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act in April 2026 for failing to effectively block under-13s. Simultaneously, the Commission is pushing for a harmonized EU-wide age verification solution, dubbed the 'mini wallet,' which is scheduled for a mandatory member-state rollout by December 31, 2026. These moves follow Australia’s implementation of a world-first social media ban for under-16s in December 2025, a move that prompted social platforms to deactivate nearly 5 million teen accounts within a month, according to Reuters.

Legal experts note that regulators are increasingly dismissing the argument that age verification violates adult privacy. The recent G7 agreement on online safety emphasizes that safety must be embedded by design. As Canada and other nations introduce similar 'Online Harms' legislation in June 2026, the streaming and social ecosystem is moving toward a standard where anonymity is progressively decoupled from age-restricted access.