Paige Henley
Published on: July 29, 2025
Fact-checked by Sam Boyd
Reddit has begun rolling out age verification for UK users as part of its compliance with the Online Safety Act 2023. While the law aims to protect minors from adult content, many adults are concerned about how their data will be handled and what it means for their digital privacy.
If you use Reddit for Not Safe For Work (NSFW) communities or other sensitive content, it’s worth understanding how these changes will affect you and what you can do about them. I’ll break down how Reddit’s new age verification system in the UK works, what it means for Reddit users, and how privacy tools like VPNs can help you keep your private data safe. Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
What Is Reddit’s Age Verification Policy in the UK?
Reddit is introducing age verification checks for UK users who want to access NSFW content. This policy change is in response to the UK’s Online Safety Act, a law that requires platforms to prevent minors from accessing adult material.
The stated goal is to protect children, but the new requirement has raised concerns among adults who use Reddit legally and anonymously — especially in NSFW subreddits that cover topics like sexuality, body positivity, or adult relationships.
Why Is Reddit Making This Change?
Reddit’s age verification rollout is a direct response to legal obligations under the UK Online Safety Act, which came into force in 2023 and is being implemented in stages through 2024 and 2025.
The law requires online platforms to take “proportionate” measures to restrict access to adult content if they are likely to be accessed by children. For Reddit, that means users browsing NSFW content, even if they don’t plan to comment or actively participate in discussions, must prove they’re over 18.
Reddit publicly stated that the change is about complying with the law, not about altering its core values around free expression or anonymity. Despite this, privacy advocates are skeptical about this claim and worried that this shift cannot happen without reducing online user freedoms and compromising their privacy through invasive data collection.
This is, according to them, especially worrying, as it’s part of a wider trend: UK regulators are increasing pressure on platforms like Reddit, Pornhub, and Instagram to implement age verification in various forms. Reddit is one of the first large community platforms to adopt such a system, but many others are expected to follow suit.
How Will Age Verification Work?
Reddit has partnered with a third-party verification provider, Persona, and the system will likely use AI-powered age estimation tools, which will require users to submit a selfie or a government-issued ID. The verification will apply when:
- You attempt to access or join an NSFW subreddit
- You want to view media marked as adult content
- Your Reddit account is registered in the UK, or your IP address suggests you’re connecting from a UK-based device.
Reddit claims the verification process will be handled securely and that no personal data will be stored by the company itself. Still, Reddit’s reliance on third parties for verification introduces trust concerns. Users are rightfully questioning who will control their personal data, and whether the verification data could be stored, sold, or leaked in the future.
Furthermore, Reddit states that unverified users will be blocked entirely from NSFW content — a hard restriction, not just a warning or an age gate as before. This signals a major change in how Reddit treats adult content, especially for users who’ve long assumed a level of privacy while browsing its forums anonymously.
What Does This Mean for Your Privacy as an Adult?
Reddit’s new age verification process comes with significant privacy concerns for adults. For those in the UK who use Reddit to participate in NSFW communities — whether for education, entertainment, or personal expression — the introduction of mandatory age verification poses serious privacy questions.
While the stated intent behind the law is to shield minors from adult content, the way it’s implemented will still have consequences for law-abiding adults who value discretion, anonymity, and control over their personal data.
Reddit’s shift marks a moment where accessing legal content online now comes with identity requirements, and that’s a big change for users who have relied on Reddit as one of the few major platforms that allowed anonymous browsing, posting, and data sharing.
Data Collection Concerns
The core of the privacy issue isn’t just about proving your age; it’s about how and where that data is handled. Reddit says it will not store the data obtained from Persona directly, but that doesn’t mean your data is safe. Third-party providers such as Persona may have different policies, vulnerabilities, or partnerships that expose your identity to unknown risks. Even if they claim to delete your data after use, the mere act of uploading personal documents introduces exposure that many users never had to worry about on Reddit until now.
Moreover, there’s the concern of scope creep — where systems originally designed for one purpose slowly expand into others. Once identity verification becomes normalized, users may face broader demands to authenticate across more areas of the platform, eroding Reddit’s former culture of pseudonymity.
Fear of Stigmatization or Profiling
Another major concern for many adults is the social cost of being linked to NSFW or adult-related content. Reddit is home to thousands of communities covering everything from sexual health and LGBTQ+ support to kink, adult entertainment, and body acceptance. These spaces are important for education, expression, and social connection — especially for people in marginalized or conservative environments.
Reddit users are rightfully worried about the loss of anonymity and the cascading effect it could have on user participation in these communities. If accessing NSFW content requires tying your real-world identity to your Reddit activity, users may start self-censoring or withdrawing entirely, even when doing nothing illegal or inappropriate.
This fear isn’t unfounded. Whether due to social stigma, potential employer judgment, or cultural sensitivity, many adults have legitimate reasons for keeping their Reddit activity private — not because they’re doing something wrong, but because privacy is a valid personal boundary. What used to be a quiet, anonymous browsing experience now risks becoming a recorded transaction, where your real name, location, and interests are all at risk of being leaked to third parties without your consent.
How Can a VPN Help Protect Your Privacy on Reddit?
A virtual private network, or VPN, is the best way to protect your privacy on Reddit, given the UK’s new age verification rule. This isn’t about evading the law or bypassing child safety mechanisms. A VPN is not a way to opt out of the rules — it’s a way to limit unnecessary exposure of your personal data and browsing habits while still using Reddit responsibly. But how does it work, and why would it be useful in this case? To explain that, we first need to explain how VPNs work.
What Does a VPN Do?
At its core, a VPN acts as a secure tunnel between your device and the internet. When you connect to a VPN server, your internet traffic is:
- Encrypted, so your ISP, hackers, or surveillance tools can’t see what you’re doing.
- Rerouted through a remote server, masking your real IP address.
- Associated with a new virtual location, depending on the server you choose.
In the context of Reddit’s age verification rollout, this has important implications:
- The user’s true physical location is hidden, making it harder for platforms to auto-assign them to UK-specific policies, such as Reddit’s new age verification rules.
- The user’s real IP address isn’t directly tied to their Reddit browsing, which all but eliminates the profiling risks associated with the new identification system.
- Limited tracking by third-party age check providers or other potentially malicious parties — they can’t easily connect the user’s IP address, device, and online identity into a unified profile.
That said, while VPNs will protect your privacy if used as intended, they don’t grant full anonymity. If you willingly upload your ID or facial scan to a verification service like the one soon to be implemented on Reddit, no VPN can undo that.
The real power of a VPN is in limiting data leakage before it happens, especially when dealing with invasive systems that are still evolving and may or may not be completely transparent about how the collected data is used, or by whom.
Choosing the Right VPN
Choosing a VPN for Reddit is easy when you know what to look for. If you’re considering a VPN to help maintain your privacy while using Reddit, especially under the UK’s new age verification rules, it’s important to pick one that’s built for privacy first, such as ExpressVPN.
There are hundreds of VPNs on the market, but not all of them are appropriate for users looking to protect their identity while accessing adult content legally. Some are slow, unreliable, or even collect usage logs themselves — defeating the entire purpose of using one to stay private online.
I’ll break down the core features to look for if your goal is to maintain your anonymity and reduce tracking or surveillance risk while using Reddit and similar platforms in the UK, once the new age verification measures are in place.
A Strict No-Logs Policy
A no-logs policy means that the provider does not record or store any information about:
- Your real IP address.
- The websites you visit.
- How long you stay connected and to which servers.
- What sort of content you access while connected.
If your VPN keeps logs, your activity could be subpoenaed, sold, or leaked to third parties. That’s a major risk if you’re browsing sensitive communities on Reddit, even completely legally. This is why most VPNs that have undergone independent audits to prove their no-logs claims (like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access).
Kill Switch and DNS Leak Protection
A kill switch prevents leaks of your DNS and IP data when browsing Reddit. It cuts off your internet connection if the VPN drops unexpectedly. Without it, your device could fall back on your regular internet connection, exposing your real IP address and location instantly. DNS leak protection ensures that your requests to load websites (like Reddit) go through the VPN tunnel, not your ISP’s DNS servers, keeping your browsing private.
Obfuscation Technology
Obfuscation disguises VPN traffic so it looks like regular HTTPS traffic, making it harder for:
- Websites to block users based on their VPN usage.
- ISPs or governments to throttle or flag encrypted VPN connections.
- Firewalls (like those in public Wi-Fi or workplaces) to interfere.
This is important since Reddit or third-party verifiers may eventually attempt to flag or block known VPN IPs. VPNs that offer obfuscation help you blend in without being flagged as someone trying to bypass rules.
Fast Speeds and Stable Server Connections
Your VPN should deliver fast speeds since Reddit loads tons of videos and pictures. A VPN that drops constantly or slows your connection to a crawl becomes frustrating quickly. You want:
- A large number of servers, so you don’t get stuck on crowded ones
- Fast protocols like WireGuard or ExpressVPN’s Lightway
- Consistent uptime with low latency
Stability is part of security. If your VPN keeps disconnecting or crashing, your kill switch will keep cutting your connection — making Reddit unusable. And a slow connection might make users turn it off “just for a moment” to load a subreddit, which is when leaks happen.
Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
How To Use a VPN With Reddit
To browse Reddit securely, you’ll need a reliable VPN service like ExpressVPN. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get it set up.
- Visit the ExpressVPN website and click the Claim Exclusive Deal button. This will direct you to a page showcasing all the available ExpressVPN plans and deals.
- Pick the ExpressVPN deal you want. The most price-efficient deal is the 2-year offer, but you can pick any option that works for you.
- Create your ExpressVPN account and provide your email and payment details to complete the purchase. These are tied to your subscription and will later be used to manage it. ExpressVPN accepts all major credit cards and e-wallets, and you can even pay in some popular cryptocurrencies.
- Proceed with the download. Once you have purchased ExpressVPN, you can start the installation process. ExpressVPN offers apps for all major operating systems like Windows and macOS, and is even available on Apple’s tvOS and Linux.
- Log in to your ExpressVPN account and activate your subscription. You’ll find the activation code on your web dashboard. Use it to activate the downloaded app on your device.
- All that’s left is to connect to a VPN server, and you can start browsing Reddit privately. Pick your server, then click on the power button to connect, and you’re ready to go.
Quick Summary of the Best VPNs for Accessing Reddit in 2025
Editors’ Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Reddit verifying age now?
Reddit is implementing age verification in the UK to comply with the Online Safety Act of 2023, which requires platforms to prevent minors from viewing adult content. This law applies to any site likely to be accessed by children, and Reddit is taking precautionary steps to avoid regulatory penalties.
Does Reddit share my ID or documents with others?
Reddit will likely use a third-party provider called Persona to handle the age verification checks, meaning your documents won’t go directly to the company. While Reddit says it won’t store the data, its users will have to trust the external verifier’s privacy and data deletion practices, which is less than ideal for ensuring privacy protection.
Is using a VPN to access Reddit illegal in the UK?
No, using a VPN in the UK is not illegal, and you’re allowed to use one of our recommended privacy-focused VPNs while surfing the web or browsing Reddit. However, using a VPN to intentionally bypass age verification could violate Reddit’s terms of service, so we don’t recommend doing that.
Will Reddit know if I’m using a VPN?
It’s possible, but we don’t have a clear-cut answer at the moment. Many sites block VPN IP addresses, and Reddit may choose to do this at any time. VPNs with obfuscation can help mask your traffic so it looks like regular traffic and doesn’t get flagged by blocklists.
What is the best VPN to use with Reddit?
Our recommendation would be ExpressVPN. Its proprietary Lightway protocol offers unmatched speed, and it has excellent security and privacy features, plus 3 server locations in the UK. But you also cannot go wrong with Private Internet Access. It’s fast, has a Shadowsocks server in the UK for obfuscation, and has tons of great privacy features for Reddit.
