YouTube is conducting a limited trial in the US of AI analysis of past viewing history to determine if an account may be in use by someone under the age of 18. If it detects what it believes to be a minor, YouTube will restrict the account to age-appropriate content only, and will require identification to prove adulthood to remove it.
There are already a range of restrictions in place on YouTube for kids accounts and those will all apply to any account that the AI believes is underage. As well as content restriction, there’s also a ban on personalized advertising, restrictions on video recommendations, and safeguards that encourage the user to take breaks from the screen periodically.
“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,” said James Beser, YouTube’s director of product management.
If you’re an adult who finds your account restricted just because you like watching episodes of Paw Patrol, you can have the blocks removed, but you will need to provide YouTube with a form of government-approved ID to unlock it.
If this is your watch-history, don’t be surprised if your account gets restricted temporarily.
Credit: YouTube
While some campaigners have questioned how effective this will be, it is likely to be felt by some. Perhaps more impactful, though, this new system will automatically restrict non-account viewers, too. If you’re used to watching YouTube embeds without logging in, you might find the system more restrictive moving forward.
The roll out is very limited at the time of writing, but YouTube is still pushing ahead to see if the new system can be effective in curtailing children accessing YouTube content. It follows pushes for crackdowns on children using services the world over. In Texas, the Supreme Court has mandated that children not be able to access pornography online. The UK has also instigated a new universal age-gating system for adult content, forcing sites from Reddit to Pornhub to require government approved ID (or a VPN) to access them.