YouTube deploys age estimation technology to identify US teens and apply additional protection

YouTube announced Tuesday that it is beginning to deploy age estimation technology in the US to identify teenagers to provide a more age-appropriate experience. The company says it uses a variety of signals to determine the potential age of a user, regardless of what they enter as their birthday when they sign up for their account.

When YouTube identifies a user as a teenager, intrOduce new protections and experiences including disabling personalized ads and its safeguards Limit repeated viewing and enable certain types of content Digital Well-Being Tool Especially screen time and bedtime reminders.

These protections already exist on YouTube, but only apply to people who have identified themselves as teenagers, not those who may have withheld their actual age. For example, in 2023, YouTube has begun to restrict the repetitive view of videos It can cause problems that indicate body image issues and social attacks. The company is also under development Digital Welfare Tools since 2018.

If the new system accidentally identifies users under the age of 18 otherwise, YouTube says it will give users the option to check their age with a credit card, government ID, or selfie. Only users who have been directly verified through this method, or those who are estimated to be over 18 years of age can view age-restricted content on the platform.

Machine learning-driven technology will begin to roll out to our small numbers of users over the coming weeks, then monitored before it becomes more widely deployed, the company says.

That was the plan to introduce age inference technology. It was first announced in February As part of YouTube’s 2025 roadmap. The plan is also the latest step to make YouTube safer for younger users. YouTube Kids app released in 2015 and 2024 Monitored Account Deployment. Also, features will arrive as social media is wider and platform manufacturers, including Apple and Google, are increasing government scrutiny. Their lobbyists have been pitted against people from major high-tech companies. Like a meta about age verification and who is responsible for child safety.

In the meantime, a handful of our states have taken the issue into their own hands. Over a dozen The state has passed or proposed laws to regulate the use of minors on social media. Many of these require age verification or parental consent in Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Texas, Maryland, Tennessee, Connecticut, etc. (However, as with Utah and Arkansas, some laws are currently blocked by lawsuits and are not enforceable, while others are still pending implementation.)

The UK has also begun implementing it. Unique age verification check This week, after the online safety law was passed in 2023.

Although YouTube does not share details about the signals it uses to infer a user’s age, please note that they search for data such as YouTube activity and the lifespan of a user’s account to make decisions if the user is under the age of 18.

The new system applies only to signed users, as signed out users are no longer able to access age-restricted content and will be available across platforms such as web, mobile, and connected television.