Viewers fear sensitive personal information leaks as YouTube uses AI to verify age

Starting August 13, YouTube will begin rolling out an 'age estimation model' that uses AI to determine whether an audience is under 18, regardless of their date of birth.

Parents have long been concerned that social media negatively affects children's safety and mental health - Photo: TheWrap

According to Variety, YouTube is testing technology in the US that can predict age, to increase protection for young users.

If the AI ​​system determines that a user is likely under 18, the Google-owned platform will activate additional restrictions and security measures. Users can re-verify their age with ID, selfies or credit cards if they believe the AI ​​is wrong.

YouTube uses AI to verify age

James Beser, YouTube's senior director of youth products, said the AI ​​will initially be rolled out to a small group of users in the US, to "ensure teens are treated appropriately for their age."

He said the technology helps infer real age, thereby providing appropriate experiences and protections, instead of relying solely on date of birth information.

YouTube said the technology has been applied in many other countries and works effectively. In the US, the company will monitor user feedback and coordinate with content creators to ensure common interests - Photo: Cybernews

The AI ​​model is based on a variety of signals, including video viewing behavior and account age. If a user is determined to be under 18, they will receive a notification and standard protections for teen accounts will automatically kick in.

These “protections” (which apply to users who declare they are under 18) include: showing only de-personalized ads (ads that do not use a user’s personal information);

Enable “digital wellbeing” tools like break and bedtime reminders by default; display privacy warnings when uploading videos or commenting publicly; reduce suggestions for videos with content that could be “problematic if viewed repeatedly”; and block access to videos that are age-restricted to 18+ (as determined by YouTube or verified by users).

For content creators, YouTube adds some restrictions such as setting the default privacy mode for uploaded videos and limiting the ability to receive gifts on vertical livestreams - Photo: Shutterstock

Some users are concerned

CNN reported that many YouTube users were upset that they might have to provide credit cards, IDs or selfies (i.e., biometric data) to continue using the adult version of YouTube if AI misidentified them as teenagers. Some shared their frustration on X and Reddit with the hashtag #boycottyoutube.

“It is completely understandable that people feel uncomfortable providing sensitive personal information during the appeal process,” said Suzanne Bernstein, an attorney with the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center.

A YouTube spokesperson told CNN that parent company Google “uses the world's most advanced security technology to protect user data from threats, and users can customize their privacy settings, including deleting their data.”

YouTube will not store data from users' IDs or credit cards for advertising purposes - Photo: TheWrap

Age verification is a global trend

Not only YouTube, many other social networking platforms are also tightening age verification measures after being criticized that teenagers can easily bypass the protection system by registering accounts with fake birth dates.

This concern has gained further attention as parents and lawmakers have long been concerned that social media negatively affects children's safety and mental health.

Last year, Meta used AI to detect when teenage users lied about their age on Instagram, in order to implement additional safety measures. TikTok now uses similar technology to detect users who may be under 13 – the minimum age to join the platform.

Several other online platforms such as Reddit and Discord have also started verifying users' ages under new regulations in the UK's Online Safety Act, whose child protection provisions came into effect last month.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khan-gia-lo-ngai-ro-ri-thong-tin-ca-nhan-nhay-cam-khi-youtube-dung-ai-xac-minh-do-tuoi-20250814091302281.htm