YouTube to use AI to identify and restrict underage accounts starting August 13

YouTube is introducing new AI-powered age estimation technology to identify users under the age of 18 and apply appropriate content restrictions. Starting August 13, the platform will use this system to detect underage users in the United States based on their account activity and the age of their account. Once identified, these accounts will receive the same protections as those where users have explicitly marked themselves as under 18. This includes restrictions on age-restricted content, non-personalized advertisements, “take a break” notifications, and limitations on repeated video recommendations related to sensitive subjects like body image. Additionally, YouTube will automatically enable privacy reminders when users upload videos or leave comments. If the AI incorrectly identifies a user as a minor, they can verify their age by uploading a government-issued ID, taking a selfie, or entering a credit card. The company acknowledges that this change could impact some creators, as their audience may be reclassified as teens, leading to a reduction in ad revenue since minors are not shown personalized ads. In a blog post, James Beser, YouTube’s director of product management, explained the initiative. He stated that the platform will begin testing the machine learning system with a small group of users in the U.S. and will closely monitor its performance before expanding to other regions. The goal is to ensure that teens are treated as such and adults as adults, improving the overall safety and experience for younger users.