YouTube is one of the most popular online platforms in the United States. among all age groups. But not all content on the video sharing site is suitable for all ages.
Although the platform, like most others, has restrictions on certain contentsuch as violence and nudity for users under 18, in the past it was easy for younger users to bypass these security measures by entering an older date of birth on their account.
But now the company is rolling out an AI-powered tool to estimate a user's age based on their activity on the platform, “and then use that signal, regardless of the account's birthday, to deliver age-appropriate products and protections,” James Beser, director of product management for YouTube Youth, said in a statement. blog post last month.
The technology, Beser said, has been in use in other markets for “some time” and will begin testing in the U.S. on Wednesday before rolling out more widely.
“We are proud to once again be at the forefront of introducing technology that allows us to provide safety while maintaining teens' privacy,” Beser said. “Families trust YouTube as a safe and rewarding experience, and we will continue to invest to protect their ability to surf the internet safely.”
Here's what you need to know about YouTube's plans to estimate the age of American users.
How does an artificial intelligence tool work?
The model will “interpret different signals” from users to estimate their age, Beser said. These include, he says, “the types of videos the user is searching for, the categories of videos they have watched, or the expiration date of the account.”
If the model notes that the user is under 18, YouTube will automatically apply age-based protection. These include turning off personalized ads, enabling digital well-being tools such as break and bedtime reminders, and setting protections for recommendations such as limiting repeat viewing of certain types of content.
“We will only allow age-restricted content that may be inappropriate for younger users to be viewed by users who are believed or verified to be over 18 years of age,” Beser said.
According to support forum at parent company Google, YouTube will not require all users to upload their IDs. But if the model incorrectly determines that the user is underage, he will be able to confirm that he is 18 years or older using a credit card, selfie or government-issued ID. Users considered to be minors may not download them, although teen protections will remain in place.
According to the same forum, the new model may also have a “limited impact” on authors. If a user is identified as a teenager, YouTube may set their uploads to private by default and limit their ability to earn from vertical live stream gifts. “This could result in lower advertising revenue,” a YouTube employee said, “as we only serve non-personalized ads to these viewers.”
Why is YouTube doing this?
As teenagers continually find ways to circumvent age restrictions, platforms like YouTube are facing growing political pressure in the US to do more to protect minors through stricter measures.
In June the Supreme Court supported like a Texas constitutional law that requires age verification for websites that post sexually explicit content. Some states also introduced laws establishing restrictions on the use of social networks for minors. And supported by both parties Children's Online Safety Actwhich would require platforms to take more proactive steps to minimize harm to minors was reintroduced to Congress this year.
It's also part of a larger global trend. In Australia, the government is moving towards a nationwide ban on children under 16. from social networks (YouTube included), and has also presented age checks for search engines. In the UK Internet Safety Act targeting adult sites requires users to verify their age, although non-adult platforms such as Spotify, Reddit and X also reportedly ask users for age verification.
However, some of these policies overcome legal obstacles primarily due to concerns about privacy and free speech.
What are the implications and concerns?
Age estimation technology, according to the Internet Civil Rights Group. Center for Democracy and Technologymay deprive some users of technologies they should have access to. For example: “If an adult is misclassified as a child user simply because he watches a lot of RPG reviews on YouTube, he will have to choose between appealing the service's decision and uploading his ID, or denying access to the service altogether.”
YouTube's age assessment plan is also under scrutiny for potential privacy violations: Change.org petition To date, more than 68,000 signatures have been collected against the rollout.
The petition states that “mass surveillance and data control” are at stake as the age estimation model analyzes users' browsing behavior and browsing history. It also argues that YouTube's move could set a dangerous precedent: “Once these systems are normalized, they rarely go away – they expand. If we don't say so now, we risk losing the ability to freely view, create and enjoy content. It's not just about YouTube. It's about digital freedom.”
