YouTube will use AI to control the age of users

On the internet, no one knows that you are a dog. Nor that you are under 18... even though it's becoming less and less true! Driven by legislation demanding age verification, platforms are required to implement systems to determine if the user is a minor. France recently distinguished itself by forcing the porn giant Aylo to temporarily block access to its main websites.

Watch out for the signals sent to YouTube's AI!

British authorities have handled it better with platforms that readily integrated age verification systems — some of which were quite easy to fool, human ingenuity being limitless in bypassing digital barriers!

Rather than requiring each user to provide an ID, YouTube wants to guess their age based on their browsing habits. The platform will test with a small number of American users a technology to determine those who are minors, regardless of the birth date provided in the profile.

This solution, already tested elsewhere in other markets, is based on artificial intelligence, but not generative AI. It is the good old machine learning, a technology that has been proven for years. It will be used to interpret several signals, such as the type of videos the user watches, the searches they perform, the categories of videos, and the longevity of the account.

As soon as the system identifies a teen user, the account will automatically switch to the appropriate "experience" for their age: deactivation of targeted ads and activation of digital well-being tools, safeguards in problematic content recommendations.

The user incorrectly identified as a minor has the possibility to appeal by proving their age, providing bank card information or an ID document.

This solution is less intrusive, but not without risks: if poorly calibrated, the algorithm could deprive an adult of content or, worse, let a minor slip through the cracks. The balance between protecting youth and respecting privacy remains therefore fragile and far from being completely resolved.

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Source: YouTube