YouTube is currently gearing up to release its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) age estimation tool soon.
This feature can determine the user’s actual age by leveraging activity metrics, thereby protecting adolescents who provided wrong dates of birth when creating their accounts.
Once the company detects any account of someone under the age of 18, YouTube will impose strict restrictions and activate digital well-being tools.
YouTube's age estimation model release date
In a support page, the Alphabet-owned YouTube said that the age estimation model will be launched in the US on August 13.
Notably, it will use separate and cutting-edge technology signals to determine the user’s real age.
The feature selects data from the user’s search history on YouTube, the category of videos watched, as well as the longevity of the account.
If an account is determined to belong to any minor, the company will immediately disable personalised advertising, add protections to video recommendations, and restrict repetitive views of specific kinds of content.
It is pertinent to mention that if any account is incorrectly flagged as a teen account, the user will get the option to verify their age by providing a government ID, uploading a credit card or selfie for authentication.
Currently, the company is only launching YouTube’s AI age estimation model in the US, with plans for broader rollout in the near future, depending on the tool’s progress.
