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YouTube no longer trusts your birthdate you entered as your sign up for the service. The video streaming platform is moving to an AI-powered system to identify underaged users, and move them onto teen accounts.
The new system rolled out on August 13, which was first announced in July, that allows YouTube to use machine learning to monitor your viewing habits, search history, and the length of time your account has been active to generate an estimate of your age.
If it believes you’re under 18, it’ll move you over to a teen account, meaning you’ll lose access to age-restricted videos and it will automatically turn on features like bedtime reminders.
A statement from a Team YouTube member said, “This work is fundamental to how YouTube safeguards our users, and we’ll continue to invest to protect their ability to explore safely online.” YouTube has tested this method in other markets before bringing it to the US, and it says it has found the feature to be a success.
Some US users are upset that it may mean they’ll be moved to a restricted account by mistake. For example, if you enjoy animated videos that traditionally skew younger, you may wrongly be identified as under 18.
YouTube says it has a system in place to help you appeal its decision, but you have to provide evidence of your age. You’ll be notified if you’re moved over to an under 18 account, and then you can verify that it’s wrong with a credit card, government ID, or a selfie.
However, YouTube hasn’t clarified how that data will be used. A spokesperson for the company told Ars Technica that it “does not retain data” specifically “for the purposes of advertising.” As pointed out by Ars Technica, that wording suggests YouTube may retain the data for other uses.
Some users are upset enough to start a Change.org petition that has now reached over 68,000 signatures, and it’s rapidly growing.
The petition was started by a YouTube gaming creator called Gerfdas Gaming. It reads, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want AI and companies tracking everything I do, with all my personal information going who knows where. This is an attempt to acquire user data, and blatant censorship hidden behind a thin veil of ”protect the kids!” We cannot allow this to escalate further.”
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