Latest news with #maturecontent
The Verge
20 hours ago
- The Verge
Reddit is rolling out age verification in the UK
Reddit users in the United Kingdom will now be blocked from accessing 'certain mature content' unless they complete the platform's new age verification process. Reddit announced on Monday that UK users will need to upload a selfie or a photo of their government ID in order to view content that's restricted for under-18s by the UK Online Safety Act (OSA), including abusive, violent, and sexually explicit materials. The age verification process is performed by Persona, a third-party provider that won't have access to users' Reddit data or retain photos for longer than seven days. Reddit says it also won't have access to uploaded photos, and that it will only store birthdates and verification statuses so that users don't need to re-verify their account. I managed to complete the process myself this morning using a selfie in under a minute, though the photo tool had some difficulty detecting when my face was correctly framed. 'Reddit was built on the principle that you shouldn't need to share personal information to participate in meaningful discussions,' Reddit said in its announcement. 'While we still don't want to know who you are on Reddit, there are certainly situations where it would be helpful if we knew a little more about you.' Reddit noted that there is a 'growing number of jurisdictions' that have passed or are considering laws that require online platforms to verify the ages of their users. As such, the platform says it's also introducing a global option for users to provide their birthdate 'to help ensure that content and ads are age-appropriate,' and may roll out age verification requirements in other regions. More information about the verification process can be found here. A list of content categories that are restricted to minors — some of which could be considered subjective, such as content that 'romanticizes' depression, hopelessness, and despair — can also be found here. Like a similar age check introduced on Bluesky last week, Reddit's age verification mandate is being introduced to comply with rules under the OSA that require online platforms to implement measures that protect children from seeing harmful and age-inappropriate content by July 25th. According to a report published by British communications regulator Ofcom last year, Reddit was the fastest-growing large social media platform in the UK in 2024, experiencing a 47 percent year-on-year increase in reach for adult users. 'The UK's online safety rules are coming into force and change is happening. Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling,' Ofcom said in a statement to The Verge. 'Now, children will be better protected from online material that's not appropriate for them, while adults' rights to access legal content are preserved. We expect other companies to follow suit, or face enforcement if they fail to act.' The announcement also mentioned Reddit 'would like to be able' to confirm whether users are human or not in the new age of AI. Reddit said that it has 'more to come about that later,' suggesting the platform is planning to crack down on AI bot accounts.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Reddit introduces age verification in the UK ahead of new rules
Reddit has announced it is introducing age verification on its UK site from Monday to stop people aged under 18 from looking at "certain mature content".The social media platform is bringing in the measures to comply with new rules under the UK's Online Safety Act which require sites that show adult material to introduce "robust" age checking known for its online communities and discussions, said that while it does not want to know who its audience is: "It would be helpful for our safety efforts to be able to confirm whether you are a child or an adult."Ofcom, the UK regulator, said: "We expect other companies to follow suit, or face enforcement if they fail to act." Reddit said that from 14 July, an outside firm called Persona will perform age verification for the social media platform either through an uploaded selfie or "a photo of your government ID", such as a said Reddit will not have access to the photo and will only retain a user's verification status and date of birth so people do not have to re-enter it each time they try to access restricted added that Persona "promises not to retain the picture for longer than seven days" and will not have access to a user's data on the new rules in the UK come into force on 25 July.A spokesperson for Ofcom said: "Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling."Now, children will be better protected from online material that's not appropriate for them, while adults' rights to access legal content are preserved."Pornhub and a number of other major adult websites recently confirmed they would introduce enhanced age checks in time for the new parent company, Aylo, said it would bring in "government approved age assurance methods" but is yet to reveal how it will require users to prove they are over has previously said simply clicking a button, which is all the adult site currently requires, is not that fail to meet the rules face fines of up to £18m or 10% of worldwide revenue, "whichever is greater".It added that in the most serious cases, it can seek a court order for "business disruption measures", such as requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform, or requiring Internet Service Providers to block access to a site in the UK."
