YouTube rolling out AI-powered age detection feature

  • The tool will determine age by the content watched
  • Users can upload a form of ID to fix any age identification error
  • YouTube says the feature will protect kids from harmful content
The YouTube logo, a red rectangle and white play button in the center of it sits on a black background on an iPad

FILE – The YouTube app is seen on an iPad, March 20, 2018, in Baltimore. YouTube recently announced it would be rolling out a new age-detection feature to keep kids safe. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

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(NewsNation) — YouTube announced it will soon be rolling out a new age estimation tool powered by AI to identify teen users.

The tool will determine a user’s age based on the types of videos they’ve watched, the categories of those videos and how long the user has had their YouTube account, regardless of the birthdate that’s associated with it. In a statement, YouTube said the feature’s purpose is to protect children from harmful content.

If a user under 18 is identified, YouTube would then take steps to regulate their content by disabling personalized advertising and limiting repetitive views of certain types of content. If a user’s age is incorrectly identified, they can fix the error by uploading some form of identification like a credit card of government ID.

The company said it would only allow users who have been inferred or verified as over the age of 18 to be able to watch age-restricted videos that might be inappropriate for younger users.

This latest feature comes as Australia passed a law that would ban accounts for children under 16 on the video-sharing service and other social media platforms. It also builds on another feature like supervised accounts, which let parents monitor their children’s activity more closely.

YouTube said it would be testing the feature among a small set of users in the U.S. before launching it with a wider audience.

Tech

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