YouTube has been taking some important steps to ensure the well-being of minors on the platform. Last month, in a quiet update, the platform introduced new age rules for young livestreamers. Now, YouTube has announced it will soon begin using AI-powered age estimation tech to find out which users are under 18 years old.
YouTube will soon get help from AI-powered age estimation tech to find underage accounts
In today’s official announcement, the platform mentioned that, starting August 13, it’ll detect underage accounts in the US based on their activity and the age of their account. YouTube will be using AI age estimation technology, after which the platform will automatically apply age restrictions on such accounts.
Speaking about AI age estimation update in a blogpost, YouTube’s director of product management, James Beser, notes, “Over the next few weeks, we’ll begin to roll out machine learning to a small set of users in the US to estimate their age, so that teens are treated as teens and adults as adults.”
Beser also mentions that YouTube will actively monitor the new AI age estimation tech before expanding it to other countries. It’s worth noting that the detected accounts will get similar protections that YouTube already offers to those identifying as minors. So, accounts owned by underage users will include a block on age-restricted videos, non-personalized ads, and “take a break” notifications.
Once the AI age estimation tech flags an account, the Google-owned platform will also set a limit on receiving repeated video recommendations about sensitive topics. Additionally, YouTube will enable automatic reminders about privacy when users with an underage account upload a video or leave a comment.
If AI gets it wrong, users can verify their age in different ways
YouTube understands that the AI-powered age estimation tech can fail sometimes. That’s why it’ll allow users to verify their age using selfies, credit cards, or government IDs. Moreover, YouTube has also recently updated its monetization policy to crack down on mass-produced and AI-generated content.
Many online platforms have announced an age verification system to stay in line with laws regarding children’s online safety. Just last week, the UK also enforced the online age verification rules. All users willing to access sites with content deemed “harmful” for minors should verify their age.
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