July 30, 2025
YouTube's Age-Estimation Tech Will Spot Kids Pretending to Be Adults. Here's How It Works
The streaming service will use various methods to make sure kids aren't watching age-restricted content.
If kids are lying about their age, YouTube will know about it. Or at least will try its best to find out. The streaming service announced Tuesday it's rolling out age-estimation technology that will use various data to determine if someone is under the age of 18, and then use that signal "to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections."
Basically -- assuming it works as it should -- kids will not be able to access what YouTube deems as age-restricted content...
Donna Rice Hughes, president and CEO of children's online safety organization Enough is Enough, welcomed YouTube's move toward age verification.
"It's always encouraging to me as a veteran working in the internet safety space for over three decades to see big tech companies being proactive to better protect youth online," Hughes told CNET. "Since the advent of social media, which began with age limits of 18 years and older then reduced to 13-plus with absolutely no age verification technologies in place, kids have learned to lie about their age to get on these platforms, including YouTube."