How to bypass Reddit age verification in Australia June 2026

Note: Reddit’s new age verification requirements are now active in Australia, and all users under 16 must verify their age to continue using the platform. To protect your privacy and bypass these restrictions, use a VPN to change your location so it appears as if you’re accessing Reddit from a country where age verification laws do not apply. This will hide your Australian IP address and give you unrestricted access, legally and securely. For example, I connected to a server in Thailand to bypass Reddit age restrictions.

As of December 10, 2025, Australians under the age of 16 have their Reddit accounts locked due to the Social Media Minimum Age legislation. Though Reddit’s minimum age requirement is just 13, the new law - enforced by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner - requires platforms to restrict access to anyone under 16. To comply, Reddit and other platforms are now using government-approved age-verification tools, including ID checks and facial age-estimation technology, which poses significant privacy concerns.

Thankfully, you can use a VPN to bypass Reddit’s age restrictions in Australia. However, not every VPN will work, as some lack robust security tools to properly hide your IP or have too few servers to get around restrictions. After testing 25 VPNs, Proton VPN stood out as the best VPN that works to bypass Reddit age verification in Australia.

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Can you bypass Reddit age verification in Australia?

Yes, Reddit’s age verification requirements can be bypassed if you use a VPN to change your digital location. Using a VPN server to change your IP address tricks the platform into thinking you’re accessing Reddit from a region with less stringent age requirements.

Australia’s new Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 requires social media platforms, such as Reddit, to stop under-16s from holding accounts of their own. This change is effective December 10, 2025, and if you do not verify your age on Reddit in Australia and the platform thinks you’re below the minimum age requirement, your account will be locked.

Note: Using a VPN to bypass Reddit’s age restriction isn’t illegal, as responsibility for ensuring compliance falls on the platform owners and operators, not individual users or their parents or guardians. Bear in mind though, that you could violate platforms’ terms of service by doing so, which could lead to account suspensions if detected.

Best VPNs to bypass Reddit age verification in Australia

Following my extensive tests with 25 VPN providers, Proton VPN, TotalVPN, and IPVanish stood out as the best VPNs to bypass Reddit age verification in Australia thanks to extensive server networks, powerful unblocking, and security features that hide your true location.

Based on my research and testing, Proton VPN was best for bypassing Reddit age verification due to its vast server network, strong security features, and affordable subscriptions. Features like AES-256 encryption and multi-hop server connections in privacy-friendly Switzerland ensured my true location was never detected. Meanwhile, TotalVPN was a solid budget choice that could bypass Reddit age checks, but while affordable, it lacks advanced security tools. IPVanish is a solid middle-ground choice, with unlimited connections, lots of servers in countries without Reddit age checks, and fast speeds.

How to bypass Reddit age verification in Australia: detailed steps

Using a VPN for Reddit allows you to change your location to a country where Reddit’s age verification process doesn’t require an ID. This means you can bypass age confirmation in Australia to avoid sharing personal, private information.

Step 1. Get a reliable VPN

First, choose a VPN that offers fast, secure servers in countries where Reddit doesn’t have strict age requirements. I recommend choosing Proton VPN thanks to its 20,075+ VPN servers, including many countries where Reddit isn’t required to verify users’ ages.

Step 2. Download the VPN app on your device

Next, download and install the VPN software on the device that you use to access Reddit. Most VPNs are available as native apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and many offer browser extensions and smart device support. Once you’ve installed the software using the on-screen prompts, you can log into your account.

Step 3. Connect to a region where Reddit doesn’t require age verification

Now, connect to a VPN server in a country where Reddit doesn’t enforce strict age verification. For example, I was able to bypass Reddit’s age restrictions in Australia by connecting to servers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France. This changes your IP address and tricks the platform into thinking the new legislation doesn’t apply to you.

Step 4. Open Reddit and use it normally

Before opening Reddit, clear your browser’s cookies and cached data to remove old location data that can interfere with your VPN. On Chrome, open Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. For Firefox users, the process is the same. On Safari, you can clear this data by choosing Preferences, then Privacy, and Manage Website Data. If you’re still getting blocked or asked to verify your age, disconnect from the VPN and try another server.

Get ProtonVPN to bypass Reddit age verification

Why does Reddit require age verification in Australia?

Reddit requires age verification in Australia due to the new Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. This legislation requires users to be at least 16 years old to continue using social media platforms like Reddit as of December 10, 2025. This means submitting an official government ID or completing AI-assisted age verification with a video selfie.

These changes apply to all major social media platforms, including Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, Kick, and YouTube. This may be expanded to other websites too, as the eSafety Commissioner has the power to add more social media platforms to the list. Platforms that don’t comply can face fines of up to A$49.5 million.

What will happen to my Reddit account if I’m under 16?

If you’re under 16 and live in Australia, your Reddit account will be restricted due to the new Social Media Minimum Age law. This comes into effect December 10, 2025, and once age verification is implemented on Reddit, you’ll be expected to prove you’re aged 16 or over on Reddit if you want to keep using the platform. If you’re not 16 or older:

• You won’t be able to verify your age, so you’ll fail the required check.
• Your account will be locked or suspended, and you won’t be able to browse or post.
• You could lose access to existing content, like saved posts and post history.
• You won’t be able to create a new Reddit account unless you can verify your age.

This is why a VPN is the only workaround for users that can’t pass age verification or those who don’t want to submit sensitive personal documentation.

I’m over 16 but it says I’m under, how do I appeal?

If Reddit has decided that you’re under the age of 16 even though you’re actually older, you can appeal the decision by completing Reddit’s age verification review process. This may ask you for your birthdate, after which you’ll likely be expected to provide an official ID document or complete an AI verification process with a video selfie.

If verification fails, Reddit will usually give you further opportunity to complete the process again. The AI method may fail due to the software miscalculating your age for example, if you look younger than you are or have atypical features. Note that accidentally entering an incorrect birthdate can be problematic since Reddit doesn’t let you change it after submission, so take care when completing verification.

Here’s how to verify your age on Reddit:

1. Go to Reddit via the app or website.
2. Choose the "Verify your age" option.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to submit an ID document or perform AI verification.
4. Submit your verification and wait for confirmation.
5. If necessary, complete the verification again if it doesn’t work the first time, or choose a different verification option.

What is Australia’s social media ban?

Australia’s “social media ban” is not a ban as such, but rather new legislation that will result in many under-16s’ accounts being removed from platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 requires major social media platforms to verify that users are at least 16 years of age. This is an effort to combat minors viewing harmful online content, online predators, and social media addiction.

The ban does not apply to messaging apps such as WhatsApp, nor to email services, educational platforms, online games, and other such services. The rules, including any new platforms being added to the affected list, are being set by the country’s eSafety Commissioner in Australia, and fines will be imposed on platforms that do not comply.

Is bypassing Reddit age verification legal?

Using a VPN to access Reddit without age verification is not explicitly illegal under Australian law. There’s no law that criminalizes VPN use for accessing social media platforms. That said, bypassing a platform’s age restrictions using a VPN could violate the service’s terms of service, and this could result in suspension or closure of your account. This is because platforms have a legal duty to take “reasonable steps” to enforce the new laws, and platforms can also face significant fines if they do not comply.

Key takeaways

Due to Australia’s new Social Media Minimum Age legislation, which came into force on December 10, 2025, under‑16s are no longer allowed to keep accounts on Reddit or other major social media platforms. Reddit has now rolled out age verification measures requiring users to submit a government-issued ID or complete an AI‑assisted age‑estimation check to prove they are at least 16.

If you’re concerned about privacy or want to continue using Reddit without age verification, you can use a VPN to bypass Reddit age restrictions in Australia. Based on my tests with 25 VPN providers, Proton VPN is the most effective VPN to use if you want to bypass age checks and continue using Reddit in Australia without restrictions.

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Reddit age verification FAQ

Is Reddit getting banned in Australia for under 16?

Yes. Reddit accounts belonging to users under 16 are now being blocked in Australia as of December 10, 2025, due to the new Social Media Minimum Age legislation. To avoid submitting to privacy-invasive age verification checks, you can use a VPN like Proton VPN to change your IP address and bypass Reddit’s age requirements entirely.

How does Reddit know I'm 16?

Reddit may know your 16 based on its AI and machine learning algorithms, which can approximate your age using browsing habits, account creation, self-attested birthdate, and other signals. These checks are now being used in Australia due to the Social Media Minimum Age legislation, effective December 10, 2025, which will block user accounts suspected of being under the age of 16.

Why is Reddit making me confirm my age?

Reddit is enforcing the new Social Media Minimum Age legislation in Australia by asking for age verification from December 10, 2025. As a result, you may be asked to confirm your age with an official ID or a video selfie. If you’d rather avoid submitting personal information, you can use a VPN like Proton VPN to change your IP address and bypass age requirements on Reddit.

How to get past age verification on Reddit?

You can get past age verification on Reddit by using a reliable VPN like Proton VPN to change your IP address and trick the platform into thinking you’re located in a country without strict age requirements. For example, I used Proton VPN to access servers in countries like the UK, Canada, Germany, and France, all of which let me avoid the need to verify my age and continue using Reddit privately.

Can I trust Reddit age verification?

You can trust that Reddit is using a respected third-party age verification partner, Persona, but we have already seen data breaches that exposed private user information since age legislation began to come into force. For example, Discord suffered a data breach that exposed vast swathes of user information after mandatory age checks were brought in for adult content in 2025. I recommend using a VPN like Proton VPN to bypass Australia’s social media age requirements instead, securely and legally.