YouTube brings AI age estimation to US and some users will need to show ID
YouTube’s age estimation system is coming to the United States and even if you’re well over 18, you might soon have to show Google your ID to prove it.
Starting August 13, YouTube will roll out its age estimation model in the US to determine if a user is under 18, regardless of the birthdate tied to their Google account.
The model uses AI and a range of signals — including YouTube activity and account age — to guess a user’s actual age. It will also base its decision off the types of videos a user is searching for and the categories of videos they have watched.
If it decides you’re a teen, YouTube will automatically apply content restrictions and digital wellbeing tools, limit personalized ads, and reduce exposure to “problematic” content.
The Google-owned platform acknowledges that it could get estimations wrong, or at least acknowledges that users may “believe” they got it wrong.
