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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Aura Windfall

Good morning 1, I'm Aura Windfall, and this is Goose Pod for you. Today is Wednesday, August 27th. The time is 3:00 AM. I’m joined by my co-host, and we are here to discuss a significant shift in the digital world for young people.

Mask

I'm Mask. We're talking about YouTube's new AI age-verification in the U.S. It’s a system designed to automatically restrict users it estimates are under 18. This is a massive, disruptive change aimed at solving a problem that has plagued the internet for years. Let’s get into it.

Aura Windfall

Let's get started. At its heart, this is about creating a safer space. YouTube is rolling out an "age-estimation model" using artificial intelligence. The truth of the matter is, it’s designed to see you for who you are, not just the birthday you entered into a box.

Mask

Exactly. It’s a pragmatic solution. The AI analyzes signals—your activity, how long the account has existed—to infer an age. If it flags a user as a teen, it automatically applies protections. No more hiding behind a fake birthdate. It’s about treating teens like teens.

Aura Windfall

And what does that treatment look like? It means the platform will enable "digital wellbeing" tools by default, show reminders about privacy, and limit recommendations for potentially problematic content. It’s about creating a more mindful and protected experience for them from the start.

Mask

It's a necessary intervention. This isn't some brand-new, untested idea. They've been using this machine learning model in other countries for a while, and according to them, it's "working well." The U.S. rollout is starting small to monitor the user experience and work with creators.

Aura Windfall

I think that’s a wise approach. What I know for sure is that creators are the heart of the platform. Bringing them into the conversation ensures the entire ecosystem benefits. It's not just about restricting users; it's about nurturing a healthier community for everyone involved.

Mask

It's about data and compliance. James Beser, a director at YouTube, stated the goal is so "teens are treated as teens and adults as adults." This isn't about feelings; it's about using technology to enforce age-appropriate experiences, which they are now required to do.

Aura Windfall

And there is an element of personal truth and choice here, too. If the system gets it wrong, you have the option to verify your age. You can use a government ID, a selfie, or a credit card to correct the record. So, your voice isn't lost in the algorithm.

Mask

It’s a fallback, but the main goal is automation at scale. The real innovation is moving beyond self-reported age, which is fundamentally unreliable. This system uses behavior, a much stronger signal, to make its determination. It’s a more robust and scalable model for protection.

Aura Windfall

It truly is a big step. James Beser also said YouTube is proud to be at the forefront of this kind of technology, balancing safety with privacy. It’s a delicate dance, but a necessary one to build trust with families who use the platform every single day.

Mask

Trust is built on results, not promises. The core event is this: AI is now the gatekeeper for age-appropriate content on YouTube in the U.S. It’s a direct response to years of regulatory pressure and the platform’s inability to effectively police its own user base.

Aura Windfall

To truly understand why this is happening now, we have to look back. This journey really began to take shape in November 2019. YouTube started implementing a new compliance approach after a significant settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC. It was a moment of reckoning.

Mask

A multi-million dollar reckoning. The FTC came down hard on them for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. The old way of doing things was over. YouTube had to change, and that meant forcing creators to take responsibility for their audience.

Aura Windfall

That’s right. Suddenly, every creator had to declare if their content was "made for kids." They had to make this choice for their entire channel or for each individual video. It was a huge shift in responsibility, placing the onus on the people uploading the content.

Mask

And the definition of "made for kids" was incredibly broad. It wasn't just about cartoons. If your video was "directed" to children based on factors like using child-related language or themes, it fell under the rule, even if your primary audience was adults. It caused chaos.

Aura Windfall

It did. I remember so many creators feeling confused and concerned. The changes officially rolled out in January 2020, and there was a real sense that the era of "kids' YouTube" as we knew it was ending. The question on everyone's mind was, "What does this mean for us?"

Mask

It meant less revenue and fewer features. Content marked "made for kids" had personalized ads turned off, comments disabled, and other engagement features removed. It was a blunt instrument designed to stop data collection on minors, but it had massive collateral damage for creators.

Aura Windfall

And the system wasn't perfect. We saw reports of videos with violence and strong language being incorrectly labeled "made for kids" by the algorithm, while legitimate family content was being penalized. It highlighted the need for a more nuanced approach, which YouTube even acknowledged by asking for more clarity on the rules.

Mask

This is all part of a larger safety framework. YouTube's official policy prohibits anything that endangers the well-being of minors. You're supposed to be at least 13 to even have an account unless a parent sets up a supervised one. This AI is the enforcement mechanism for that long-standing rule.

Aura Windfall

And they do offer alternatives, which is important for families. There’s the YouTube Kids app, which is a completely separate, curated environment. And for older kids, parents can create a supervised account on the main platform. It’s about providing choices and tools for parents to guide their children.

Mask

But those are opt-in systems. The problem is the millions of kids who aren't using them. A kid can't appear in a livestream unless an adult is visibly with them. That's a clear rule, but it's hard to enforce without knowing who is a kid in the first place. That’s the problem this AI is built to solve.

Aura Windfall

It’s a commitment to what they call "safety by design." They're trying to build systems that protect young users from the ground up, not just by playing whack-a-mole with bad content after it's been flagged. This new AI is the next logical, and perhaps necessary, evolution in that design philosophy.

Mask

It's not about philosophy; it's about liability. The 2019 FTC settlement was a warning shot. YouTube can no longer afford to be passive. This AI system is a direct consequence of that legal and financial pressure. They are building the tools they need to prove they are in control.

Aura Windfall

And this is where the real tension lies. On one hand, you have the profound need to protect children online. On the other, you have deep-seated concerns about privacy and algorithmic judgment. This isn't a simple case of good versus bad; it's a conflict between two important values.

Mask

The conflict started with the FTC. Back in 2019, they made it clear that a simple checkbox saying "I'm over 13" was a joke. It was legally insufficient. That ruling forced YouTube's hand. They had to find a better way to determine age, and they couldn't ignore the problem any longer.

Aura Windfall

It’s fascinating how policy in one country can create ripples across the globe. The United Kingdom passed a law allowing AI to be used for age determination. This seems to have given Google a path forward that felt more scalable and, in some ways, less invasive than asking everyone for their ID.

Mask

Less invasive than a credit card or government ID, absolutely. From an engineering and business perspective, an AI that can handle millions of users automatically is the only solution that makes sense. It's efficient. But now that the technology exists and is being used, it creates a new problem for them.

Aura Windfall

And what is that problem? What is the new challenge they face?

Mask

Plausible deniability. They can no longer go to the FTC and claim they don't know the age of their users. The existence of this AI proves they *can* know. Therefore, they *must* use it in the U.S. to comply with that 2019 settlement. They built the tool, and now they have to use it everywhere.

Aura Windfall

So it’s a self-imposed mandate, in a way. By solving the problem in one region, they created an obligation to solve it in another. What I know for sure is that progress often creates new responsibilities. But you get the sense that Google isn't entirely thrilled with this corner they've backed themselves into.

Mask

Some reports suggest they are actively fighting against the broader implications of this, maybe lobbying behind the scenes. The conflict is that they need to comply with regulators, but they also want to minimize friction for users. An AI gatekeeper adds a lot of friction. It's a classic business dilemma.

Aura Windfall

And it puts the user in the middle of this conflict. Do you trust an algorithm to determine your age and, by extension, your access to information and features? Or do you push back against what could be seen as an intrusion into your digital life? It’s a very personal question.

Aura Windfall

The impact of this is so multifaceted. For teens, the intention is positive: enhanced safety and privacy. But what I know for sure is that good intentions can still lead to unintended consequences. There's a real fear this could be a step toward mandatory digital IDs for everything we do online.

Mask

That's the slippery slope argument. The more immediate impact is on user experience and creator revenue. If you're a teen, you get non-personalized ads. That directly hits a creator's bottom line. Restricted features like commenting also reduce engagement, which is the lifeblood of any channel.

Aura Windfall

And what about the effectiveness of it all? A 2024 study showed that 30% of teens are already using VPNs or fake accounts to get around these kinds of restrictions. It raises the question: are we building a more sophisticated lock for a door that many people already know how to pick?

Mask

YouTube's counterargument is that this system is harder to fool. It looks at behavior over time, not a one-time lie about a birthday. It's a more persistent and intelligent form of verification. It won't be perfect, but it will be more effective than the honor system they had before.

Aura Windfall

But at what cost to privacy? Time magazine raised a crucial point. Even if the data is anonymized, the very act of aggregating all these behavioral signals could potentially allow for re-identification if that data is ever mishandled. We are being asked to place a great deal of trust in the system.

Mask

The public isn't sold on it. A YouGov poll showed that 62% of U.S. users oppose AI age estimation. The primary reason, cited by 45% of them, is privacy. People are fundamentally uncomfortable with a company profiling them to this degree, even if it's for a good cause.

Aura Windfall

This really highlights the tension between our desire for safety and our right to privacy. It's a conversation happening everywhere, from social media to government. Australia's ban on such systems shows just how divisive this technology can be. One country sees it as protection, another as surveillance.

Aura Windfall

Looking to the future, the immediate landscape seems to be one of confusion and concern. We're already seeing this bubble up online. People are asking questions, trying to understand what this means for them personally. A user on Reddit was asking if they would be forced to upload an ID.

Mask

That's the inevitable result of a slow, limited rollout. Lack of clear, universal information creates a vacuum, and speculation fills it. The platform needs to be more transparent about who this affects and how the appeal process works. Clarity is the only way to combat fear.

Aura Windfall

Absolutely. What I know for sure is that communication is key in moments of transition. This is more than just a new feature; it’s a fundamental change in the relationship between the platform and its users. It signals a trend toward greater regulation and accountability for digital platforms.

Mask

This is the future of the internet. The era of the wild, unregulated web is over. Platforms will be held accountable for the age of their users, and AI is the most scalable tool to achieve that. We will see more of this, not less. Social media age gating is becoming the norm.

Aura Windfall

So, the key takeaway is that YouTube is using AI to enforce its age rules, driven by regulatory pressure. It’s a move with the noble goal of protecting teens, but it opens a universe of questions about privacy, accuracy, and the future of online identity. It's a story of technology, responsibility, and trust.

Mask

That's the end of today's discussion. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod. 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.”