Reddit is updating verification indicators in the main feed: a new grey checkmark is being added to profiles of a selected group of public figures and trusted partners in the app.

📇 Reddit profile: Carol Young

  • 👤 Name: Carol Young (with a blue verification checkmark)
  • 🔗 Username: u/carolyoung
  • ✍️ About:
    “Cutting through the hype to break down the business of sports media. Obsessed with queso and a good argument.”
  • 🏅 Achievements: 21 trophies (there is a separate block with icons and an arrow to view them).

At the bottom there is a short account summary:

  • 🔥 Karma: 78K
  • 💬 Contributions (posts and comments): 157
  • 📆 Account age: 13 years
  • 📂 Active In: field is empty (no subreddits listed).

As you can see in this example, the verification badge on Reddit looks almost the same as verification indicators in other apps and is meant to ensure that you are interacting with the real person described in the bio.

The logic is clear – people (especially teens) jump between platforms, and the more time they spend in social apps, the higher the demand for simple trust signals without extra checks. Their habits make this very visible: YouTube, TikTok and Instagram remain the most popular apps among teens.

As explained on Reddit:

“Today we’re announcing a limited alpha test of verified profiles – an update that adds grey checkmarks next to a username – to help individuals and organizations who want to verify their identity on Reddit. This feature is intended to help Redditors understand who they’re interacting with in moments where verification is important, whether that’s an expert or celebrity doing an AMA, a journalist reporting the news, or a brand sharing information.”

Reddit says it has begun testing the new verification markers “with a small, carefully selected group of individuals, most of whom have already self-identified on Reddit, as well as companies that currently have the official badge.”

This “official” badge was the first form of verification Reddit launched back in 2023, which added an “official” label to accounts whose identity Reddit had verified.

Those indicators will now be replaced by the new grey checkmarks to provide extra assurance around how the app works.

What that checkmark actually means for users today, however, is another question.

For a long time, verification badges meant a real identity and (at least to some extent) trust, with platforms trying to recognize and elevate verified profiles of public figures and brands.

But now that some platforms sell checkmarks to anyone, I’m not sure they still mean what they used to.

Now a checkmark simply means you have enough money to pay for the badge, not that you have any authority or status that requires identity protection. That dilutes the original meaning, although some would argue that the meaning of the badge was watered down many years ago due to internal confusion (especially at Twitter) over what it was supposed to represent.

Ideally, this should give Reddit users more confidence by making it clear that they’re interacting with an official organization that truly represents what it claims.

Reddit says it is starting with a small test, with the goal of expanding more broadly in the future. Reddit also notes that verified users will be allowed to use pseudonyms if they wish.