Is Reddit safe for kids? What parents should know

• ✓Official rating above age 7
  App Store: 18+; Google Play: Mature 17+
• ✓Contact with other players or strangers
  Comments, messaging, and chat
• ✓Purchases with real money
  Reddit Premium, collectible avatars
• –Paid random items
  None found
• ✓Violence or scary content in rating descriptors
  App Store: infrequent violence, horror
• ✓Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings
  UK fine (2026); Australia under-16 rules

Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count.

Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?

Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.

What is Reddit?

Short answer: A site and app of discussion communities, called subreddits, on almost any topic.

Posts and comments are written by users, voted up or down, and moderated by volunteer moderators for each community, plus Reddit's own rules. Users can also message and chat with each other.

Is Reddit safe for kids? The facts

Short answer: Reddit's terms set 13 as the minimum, and the App Store rates the app 18+.

• Terms: no one under 13; 18 or older to view mature content.
• App Store: 18+, with frequent profanity and mature or suggestive themes, plus infrequent violence, horror, drug references, and sexual content or nudity.
• Google Play: Mature 17+.
• Contact: messaging, chat, and user-generated content, per Apple.
• Purchases: Reddit Premium ($6.99 a month) and collectible avatars ($4.99 to $199.99).

What is the Reddit age requirement?

Short answer: 13 to use Reddit, 18 to view mature content, per Reddit's User Agreement.

At sign-up, Reddit has relied on users declaring their own age; the ICO said that carries risks to children. In the UK, since July 2025, Reddit has asked users to verify their age with a selfie or ID before viewing mature content, under the Online Safety Act.

Has Reddit been fined?

Short answer: Yes, in the UK. On February 24, 2026, the Information Commissioner's Office fined Reddit £14.47 million (about $19.5 million), according to The Record. The ICO said Reddit relied on self-declared ages at sign-up and had no lawful basis to process the data of children under 13. Reddit plans to appeal.

In Australia, Reddit is one of 10 platforms covered by the under-16 social media rules that took effect in December 2025. Reddit complies while it challenges the law in the High Court, the AP reported. As of October 2026, we found no ruling.

The habit kids may copy: counting upvotes

On Reddit, every post and comment shows a score. The habit kids may copy: judging an idea by how many people liked it.

Try tonight: think first, then vote

Play "thumbs": name a silly idea ("ice cream for breakfast") and before anyone votes, ask: "What do you think, before you hear what I think?" In our program, this is the lesson "Wisdom": thinking before deciding.

What is the Reddit age requirement?

Reddit's User Agreement says no one under 13 may use it, and users must be 18 to view mature content.

Is Reddit safe?

Apple's App Store rates the Reddit app 18+, with frequent profanity and mature themes, and Google Play rates it Mature 17+. Communities are written and moderated by users.

Does Reddit verify age?

In the UK, since July 2025, Reddit asks for a selfie or ID before showing mature content. At sign-up, users declare their age, which the UK's ICO said carries risks to children. Reddit also says it complies with Australia's under-16 rules.

Is Reddit banned for under-16s in Australia?

Reddit is covered by Australia's under-16 social media rules, in effect since December 2025. It complies while challenging the law in the High Court.

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