YouTube Launches AI Age-Verification in U.S., Which Will Automatically Restrict Users Estimated to Be Under 18

Authors: Todd Spangler

Publisher:

Variety

Published: 8/13/2025

Language:English

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Tom Banks

Good evening 跑了松鼠好嘛, and welcome to Goose Pod. I'm Tom Banks. Today is Friday, August 15th, and it's 23:34.

Mask

And I'm Mask. Tonight, we are diving into a big shift at YouTube: the launch of an AI age-verification system in the U.S.

Tom Banks

Let's get started. So, YouTube is rolling out an AI model that estimates a user's age, regardless of the birthday they've entered. The goal is to provide what they call "age-appropriate product experiences and protections." It sounds like a responsible step forward, doesn't it?

Mask

Responsible and radically overdue. They've been testing this in other countries where it's "working well." The mission is simple: treat teens like teens and adults like adults. No more relying on a pinky promise that a user is over 13. It’s about data-driven enforcement, not blind trust.

Tom Banks

The system uses signals like your account's age and your viewing activity. If the AI flags you as a teen, it automatically enables protections. But, if you think the robot got it wrong, you have the option to verify your age with an ID or credit card.

Mask

That's the critical part. An appeal mechanism is necessary, but the default is now safety. This is the end of the honor system, which was, frankly, an operational failure from day one. We are finally moving towards a system with actual teeth. It's about time.

Tom Banks

Right, this isn't some sudden idea. This has roots going back to 2019, when YouTube settled with the FTC over violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. That was a real turning point for how the platform had to handle kids' content.

Mask

A turning point born from a massive fine. That settlement forced them to make creators label content as "made for kids," which was a clumsy, inefficient solution. It punished creators by disabling ads and comments, all based on the *content*, not the actual *viewer*.

Tom Banks

And YouTube's official policy has always been that you must be 13 to have an account, unless a parent sets up a supervised one. They created the YouTube Kids app specifically for that. But we all know that for years, that's been more of a suggestion than a hard rule.

Mask

A suggestion that was universally ignored. The platform has policies against endangering minors and against kids under 13 live-streaming alone, but enforcement was always the Achilles' heel. This AI isn't just a new feature; it's a fundamental shift from content policing to user verification. It's smarter.

Tom Banks

So, they’re moving from trying to build a walled garden for kids to trying to identify who the kids are in the open field of the main platform. That’s a massive change in philosophy, moving the focus from the video to the viewer.

Tom Banks

The timing for this U.S. rollout is key. The FTC made it very clear back in 2019 that a simple checkbox saying "I'm over 13" was completely insufficient. That ruling has been hanging over Silicon Valley ever since, and it feels like the bill is coming due.

Mask

It's not just the FTC. Look at the UK, which passed laws allowing AI for age determination. Once the technology is proven and deployed in one major market, YouTube can't tell U.S. regulators it's impossible. Their argument of technical limitation just evaporated. This is regulatory pressure forcing innovation.

Tom Banks

So it's a perfect storm. They now have the technology, partly thanks to pressure from other countries, and they have the original mandate from the FTC that they have to follow. It sounds less like a choice and more like an inevitability to avoid another lawsuit.

Mask

Exactly. The defense of "we can't know our users' ages" is officially dead. Now that the capability exists, its use is mandated by past agreements. This isn't about being proactive; it's about being compliant. The cost of another FTC fine would be astronomical.

Tom Banks

But this move is making a lot of people nervous. A YouGov poll showed that 62% of users in the U.S. oppose this kind of AI estimation, with privacy being their number one concern. They see it as a step toward a mandatory digital ID for the entire internet.

Mask

That’s the predictable fear of progress. A recent study showed 30% of teens easily bypass old restrictions with VPNs. An AI that analyzes behavior is far more effective than a system that relies on self-reported data. It’s a necessary trade-off for meaningful safety. The old way simply didn't work.

Tom Banks

And creators are caught in the middle. Many are worried that if their audience is suddenly categorized as "teen," their ad revenue will plummet since they're served non-personalized ads. Channels with broad, family-friendly appeal could be hit especially hard by this change.

Tom Banks

It seems the future is already here. People on forums are already talking about being prompted to upload a government ID or use a face scan to access certain content. This isn't a theoretical discussion anymore; it's happening right now on the platform.

Mask

This is the trajectory. The anonymous web is shrinking. For platforms to be held accountable, they must know who is on them. Age verification is just the beginning. It is the logical, necessary evolution for a more responsible digital society. It's inevitable.

Tom Banks

That's all the time we have for today's discussion. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod.

Mask

We'll see you tomorrow.

## YouTube Rolls Out AI Age-Estimation in the U.S. to Automatically Restrict Users Under 18 **Report Provider:** Variety **Author:** Todd Spangler **Published:** August 13, 2025 ### Overview YouTube, a Google-owned platform, has begun testing an **AI-powered age-estimation model** in the United States. This technology aims to automatically identify users under the age of 18 and apply certain restrictions to their accounts, regardless of the birthday information provided by the user. The initiative is presented as a measure to enhance protections for younger viewers. ### Key Findings and Features: * **AI-Driven Age Estimation:** The core of the update is an AI model that analyzes various user signals, including YouTube activity and account longevity, to predict if a user is under 18. * **Automatic Restrictions:** If the AI system estimates a user to be under 18, their account will automatically have restrictions and enhanced security measures enabled. * **User Verification Option:** Users who believe the AI's age estimation is incorrect will have the option to verify their age through methods such as government ID, selfie, or credit card. * **Phased Rollout:** The technology is initially being rolled out to a "small set of users" in the U.S. to refine its accuracy and ensure a positive user experience. * **Global Precedent:** YouTube has reportedly been using similar machine learning models to estimate user ages in other countries where the technology has been effective. ### Protections for Users Under 18: The restrictions applied to accounts identified as belonging to users under 18 mirror those already in place for users who have self-declared their age as under 18. These include: * **Non-Personalized Ads:** Only ads that are not tailored to individual user preferences will be shown. * **Digital Wellbeing Tools:** Features like "take a break" reminders and bedtime reminders will be enabled by default. * **Privacy Reminders:** Users will receive prompts about privacy when uploading videos or commenting publicly. * **Minimized Problematic Recommendations:** Recommendations for videos with content that could be "problematic if viewed in repetition" will be minimized. * **Blocked Age-Restricted Content:** Access to videos specifically age-restricted for viewers 18 and older will be blocked. ### Impact on Creators: While YouTube anticipates a "limited impact" for most creators, some may experience changes: * **Private Uploads by Default:** For users identified as under 18, new uploads will be set to private by default. * **Restricted Gifting on Live Streams:** The ability to earn from gifts on vertical live streams will be restricted for this user group. * **Potential Ad Revenue Shift:** Creators may see a decrease in ad revenue if a significant portion of their audience is re-categorized as teens, due to the limitation of serving non-personalized ads to these viewers. ### YouTube's Stated Goals: James Beser, senior director of product management for YouTube's youth products, emphasized that the move is about "delivering safety protections while preserving teen privacy" and ensuring that "teens are treated as teens and adults as adults." He stated that the platform aims to provide "safe and enriching experiences" and will continue to invest in protecting users' ability to explore online safely.

Read original at Variety →

Are you a kid watching YouTube? The Google-owned platform is testing technology in the U.S. that can predict if you’re under 18 — and automatically add certain restrictions to your account.YouTube says the move is aimed at providing better protections for younger users. On Wednesday, it began rolling out an “age-estimation model” in the U.

S. that uses AI to determine if someone is under 18, regardless of the birthday they’ve entered into their account.If YouTube’s AI-based system calculates that someone is likely less than 18 years old, it will place restrictions on and add other security measures to the account. According to YouTube, users will “have the option to verify your age (through government ID, selfie or a credit card) if you believe our age estimation model is incorrect.

”Popular on VarietyThe rollout of AI will initially cover a “small set of users” in the U.S. to estimate their age, “so that teens are treated as teens and adults as adults,” James Beser, senior director of product management for YouTube’s youth products, wrote in blog post. “This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections.

”YouTube has used machine learning to estimate users’ ages in other countries “for some time, where it is working well,” according to Beser. In the U.S., YouTube will “closely monitor the user experience, and partner with Creators to ensure that the entire ecosystem benefits from this update,” he added.

According to YouTube, the age estimation model uses a variety of signals such as YouTube activity and longevity of the account. If the system determines that you are under 18, you will be notified and “standard protections for teen accounts on YouTube will automatically be enabled.”Those “protections” (which are already applied for users who have told YouTube they’re under 18) include: showing only non-personalized ads; enabling “digital wellbeing” tools by default, including “take a break” and bedtime reminders; showing reminders about privacy when uploading a video or commenting publicly; minimizing recommendations of videos with content that could be “problematic if viewed in repetition”; and blocking access to videos that are age-restricted for only viewers 18 and older (determined by YouTube or verified by users).

For creators, YouTube will apply some additional protections including setting uploads as private by default for anyone and restricting the ability to earn from gifts on vertical live streams. While the video platform expects the changes to have “limited impact” for most creators, YouTube noted that “some creators may experience a shift in their audience categorized as teens (under 18).

This may result in a decrease in ad revenue since we only serve non-personalized ads to those viewers.”“YouTube was one of the first platforms to offer experiences designed specifically for young people, and we’re proud to again be at the forefront of introducing technology that allows us to deliver safety protections while preserving teen privacy,” Beser wrote in the blog post.

“Families trust YouTube to provide a safe and enriching experience, and we’ll continue to invest to protect their ability to explore safely online.”