Reddit Limits Access to ‘Old Reddit’ Due to AI Bot Issues

Reddit is tightening access to the “Old Reddit” interface as part of its strategy to curb scraping and automated traffic. Recently, the platform began requiring users to log in to access Old Reddit, and in the coming months, users will need to be logged in and have used Old Reddit within the last six months to continue enjoying the classic experience.

According to Reddit, this six-month requirement will affect “the vast majority of all Old Reddit users.” While the announcement lacked specifics, it clearly targets not only the creation of new bot accounts but also aims to prevent bots from exploiting unused or abandoned accounts. Additionally, Reddit will discontinue support for RSS feeds on November 13th, citing that RSS has become a common target for large-scale scraping and automated misuse, and has suggested alternatives like Discord Relay for moderation assistance.

Reddit stated:
> If you use RSS for feeds outside of a community you moderate, there is no replacement. We know RSS has been a beloved part of the open web for a long time, and we’re grateful to everyone who used it to stay connected to Reddit.

The company has been actively combating unauthorized access to its data, including blocking the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to prevent AI scraping, suing Anthropic for alleged bot access violations, and forming partnerships with Google and OpenAI to utilize Reddit data for training purposes. While many users cherish Old Reddit, CEO Steve Huffman mentioned in May 2025 that the platform would remain available as long as it had an active user base. However, in August, Huffman acknowledged that Reddit had reached a point where “we need to make some changes” due to the misuse of the experience by spammers and scrapers.

In today’s announcement, Reddit noted that the recent login requirement for Old Reddit “helped reduce scraping and automated abuse” but still allowed any logged-in account to access Old Reddit, including those without prior usage. Moderators who are logged in will still have access to Old Reddit without needing to meet the recent usage criteria.

Reddit also provided updates regarding the transition for apps and bots utilizing its public data API to the company’s developer platform. Starting January 12th, 2027, Reddit will begin revoking API access for users who haven’t registered their apps, with all remaining public API access set to conclude in March 2027.