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YouTube Launches AI Age-Estimation, Protecting U.S. Teen

YouTube Launches AI Age-Estimation, Protecting U.S. Teen

Author: admin | 01 Aug 2025

YouTube is introducing age-estimation technology powered by artificial intelligence in the United States to enhance teenagers’ safety. The update will allow the service to target teenage users better, no matter what date of birth is entered during sign-up, and add more built-in protections, previously restricted to verified teenagers’ accounts.

YouTube uses data points such as account activity, video categories viewed, and the age of the account to infer whether a user is under 18. The platform becomes age-appropriately protected automatically by flagging users on the basis of account activities. These involve switching off personalized advertising, digital well-being controls, such as time limits, and curbing exposure to repetitive content that might have a negative effect on mental health, e.g., videos associated with body image issues or social aggression.

These incorrectly classified users will be given an opportunity to verify their age by providing a certain government ID or credit card to restore access to the restricted content.

This move is also in line with increasing regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and the rest of the world. States like Florida, Texas, and Utah are encouraging social networks to implement stronger age verification mechanisms. It is also adopting the Online Safety Act operation in the U.K., which is evidence of a wider industry movement towards the use of AI in compliance.

The shift highlights an important fact: AI has stepped out of the content box and onto the compliance stage. To platforms, brands, and regulators, it is clear that age-appropriate digital experiences have become non-negotiable.

AI-driven facial recognition and liveness detection can be integrated to verify a user’s age in real time without storing sensitive data. This will eliminate spoofing using deepfakes or stolen identities and allow only legitimate users to reach age-restricted content without violating safety and privacy rules in different jurisdictions.