- Earlier this year, YouTube announced plans to bring an age-verification system to the US.
- Tests are starting over the next few weeks, with plans to expand widely later on.
- YouTube will use AI to flag accounts based on teen-like usage patterns, and ask these users to prove their age.
We’re currently in the middle of a rather regrettable trend taking hold across the globe, as online services increasingly demand that users positively authenticate themselves — or at the very least establish their ages. Over in the UK they’re all having a bunch of fun* (fun not guaranteed) with the Online Safety Act right now, and the US is likely to face a new wave of similar requirements, after a bad Supreme Court ruling last month. Earlier this year, YouTube shared some of its own plans for age verification, and it’s now getting ready to flip the switch.
Over the next few weeks, YouTube will begin testing its age-checking tools on a small group of US users. Rather than initially demanding to see a copy of your ID, the system will start by attempting to guess your age based on your YouTube usage.