YouTube to Use AI to Identify and Protect Underage Users Starting August 13

YouTube is all set to introduce a new feature that will allow it to identify youngsters under the age of 18. The feature will be rolled out starting August 13, 2025, in the United States. In its blog post, the company says it’s going to use an AI-powered age estimation technology in order to identify and block users who are below 18 years of age.

Here’s What We Know About YouTube’s Upcoming Age Estimation Feature:

YouTube is getting ready to launch a new safety feature aimed at young users starting 13 August. Under this feature, the tech giant will be able to identify users under the age of 18 years so that the platform can block or restrict them from accessing content that is not suitable for them. This change is part of YouTube’s ongoing efforts to create a safer digital space for teens and children online.

The feature will only be available in the United States; however, it can be rolled out in other countries too in the near future.

How Will YouTube Detect Underage Users?

As per YouTube, the platform will not just rely on the age that a user is entering during sign-up, and hence, the content-streaming platform is going to apply artificial intelligence to analyze the real age of the user. The AI will analyze different user behaviors, including the type of videos they watch, search habits, and how old the account is.

All these analyses will evaluate whether the user is under 18 or not. Once the AI analyzes and finds out that the account belongs to an underage user, it will automatically place restrictions on the account.

What Happens If You’re Identified as Under 18?

Once the system flags an account as belonging to a minor, YouTube will apply its existing age-appropriate protections. These include:

• Blocking access to age-restricted videos
• Turning off personalized ads
• Enabling “take a break” and other digital well-being tools
• Limiting how often certain sensitive content, like body image videos, appears in recommendations

In addition, YouTube will also add privacy reminders when minors upload videos or comment on content. One of the interesting parts of this feature is that if YouTube’s system flags your account wrongly, then you will have a chance to verify your age. You can do it via your government ID or even by entering your credit card number.