YouTube has announced a new step: the platform is starting to use artificial intelligence to determine users' ages to protect children from inappropriate content. The new system will try to determine whether a user is an adult or a minor based on the videos they watch, searches, and account activity.
Suppose the AI determines that the user is a minor. In that case, their account will automatically be subject to youth safety restrictions. Some content will be inaccessible, personalized ads will be disabled, and “take a break” reminders will be added. If an adult user is mistakenly identified as a minor, they must prove their age by presenting a passport, bank card, or selfie. This has already caused concern among users who fear for the security of their data. The hashtag # boycottYouTube is also spreading on social networks.
The move is part of a wider process by social platforms to prevent children from registering with false ages. Meta has already used similar approaches on Instagram, TikTok, and several other platforms.
